A Hazy Shade Of Winter
by PureFuronGodliness
Summary: Crypto and Pox are captured, and the Mothership falls into enemy hands. The situation calls for some unlikely allies.
1. Brains Are Grabbed And Disaster Strikes

**Author's Note: My second fanfic. I had tons of fun writing this one. Please, don't be shy and stop by my profile sometime…! I also updated Grey Matters for a bit, with a few minor adjustments for extra reading comfort. ^-^  
****Oh, and please don't steal my stuff or I'll hurt you good.**

***** A Hazy Shade of Winter *****

It was a usual day on the Mothership for Pox, as he guided Crypto, having an equally usual day down on Earth gathering brainstems.  
The warrior clone ran around an American suburb, grabbing brains to Pox's directions, taking only the most valuable ones.

"There's a group of soldiers heading your way, Crypto." Pox informed him telepathically as his scanners warned him of the military presence. "You'd best hide somewhere or head farther north, there's quite a lot of them."

"Got it, Poxy." Crypto responded, and jetpacked atop a rooftop, running across it.

He made his way across several roofs before gliding down to the streets again and continuing his harvest of brainstems from the surprised and shocked inhabitants of the area.  
Pox kept an eye on him, keeping a telepathic silence between them for a while to let the warrior clone focus on his tasks.

The Furon Commander then looked up in surprise as he heard a noise coming from somewhere higher up the Mothership.

He turned around on his chair and looked behind him for a moment, checking if maybe the elevator was moving on its own again. It seemed stationary, and Pox just shrugged to himself. Maybe some space debris had hit the Mothership's shields…  
He turned back to his viewscreens and noticed the human soldiers were still in pursuit of Crypto, nearing him from several directions but still out of the warrior clone's view.

"You'll need to relocate yourself again, Crypto." Pox quickly told him. "More soldiers have been summoned and they're again in your vicinity."

"Right, which way's clear…?"

"Head through those bushes to your left. You'll end up in a park of sorts."

Crypto did as he was told, and made his way through the undergrowth, soon encountering trees. He could then hear the soldiers near him shouting, and clearly following him.  
As Pox watched Crypto moving further into the green to evade the military, the older Furon was not aware of the fact someone was sneaking up behind his cerebral chair.

That is, until, just as he typed in a few commands to his computers to bring up some stats, an arm was suddenly forcefully thrown around him, pinning him to his chair, and a rag was pressed against his mouth.

Pox immediately resisted the assailant with all his might, which, physically, wasn't much. All he could do was to try to get his arms free, which he managed, and then tried to pull the other arm that held the cloth to his face away from him.  
He immediately recognized the smell of chloroform, and, realizing what it meant, Pox resisted even more desperately, unwittingly doing exactly what his attacked wanted.

His fierce movements required their oxygen, thus only making Pox pass out sooner by breathing in the chloroform.  
He soon fell limp in his chair, his eyes closed, and his mysterious assailant let go of him.

"Alright, Poxy, which way now…?" Crypto asked telepathically as he neared the other end of the park he was still in, seeing more houses on the other side of the remaining bushes.

After waiting for a few seconds, he frowned to himself as he got no response.

"Pox?" he spoke, and looked around to check if he was still safe.

He then ran through the last bit of bush and across a road, to hide in a nearby backyard.

"Hey Poxy, talk to me." he said as he crouched behind a small brick wall. "You drinkin' that herbal crap again?"

Taunting his mentor was always a sure way for Crypto to get a response, but now, the other end of the telepathic line still remained eerily silent.  
And by now, Crypto was becoming worried. Pox wasn't one to pull pranks. Maybe something was wrong…

The warrior clone then got up, and, after checking his surroundings, quickly made his way back to the Scout Ship.  
After having quickly zoomed back up through Earth's atmosphere and over to the Mothership, all the way still trying to contact Pox, Crypto landed the saucer in the hangar, and exited it.

As he was about to make his way over to the elevator, he finally spotted Pox, lying on his side on the floor of the opening to the elevator hall.

"Pox!" Crypto let out, and intended to run over to him, but he immediately slowed himself down.

Things didn't add up. Pox was clearly unconscious, and his cerebral chair was nowhere around. Pox could never have gotten where he was on his own… This had to be some sort of trap…!

Now on hot alert, and ignoring the strict rules Pox had once made against drawn weapons on the Mothership, Crypto whipped out his Disintegrator Ray and wildly looked around him. Not long after, a small blue dart zoomed over and hooked itself into Crypto's left upper leg.

"Ow…!" Crypto let out, and immediately yanked it out of his skin.

He then realized he was now also in big trouble, as the dart had emptied its contents into the warrior clone's veins.  
Furious, he threw it aside as he yelled,

"Dammit! Show yourself, you freakin' _cowards!_"

But the unknown intruders remained hidden as they watched Crypto pantingly stagger around, looking for them as the drugs from the dart spread in his body, and soon made him knock over various pieces of equipment and other random things standing around the hangar before Crypto finally ended up passing out on the floor.


	2. Ivans

After an undefinable period of time, Crypto slowly woke up, soon realizing he was moving.  
It also didn't take long for him to conclude he was sitting on a floor, his wrists and ankles tied together, and his arms were shackled behind his back to someone else's, which could only be Pox's.

They seemed to be in the back of a truck, which was clearly driving over some unpaved road.

"Pox…?" Crypto whispered, his voice a bit hoarse. "Poxy, you okay…?"

But there came no response from the other Furon.

"I am thinking one with silver antlers is dying first." Crypto suddenly heard a male voice coming from the front of the truck, which was separated by metal bars and a piece of canvas from the cold, dark part where the warrior clone sat. "He is being meek with bigger head."

"Da." replied another male voice. "But he is clearly having more status than other one, so we must be being careful not to kill him too quickly. He may be having important information. If you are wanting to get violent, choose other one. He is looking stronger and is being less of value, da?"

"If you are saying so, comrade. I hope we will be being chosen to be interrogating. Is being weeks since last beating innocent peasant. Alienskies being next best thing, nyet?"

"Oh, you are being right, comrade."

It seemed Pox then finally regained consciousness, as Crypto felt him slightly moving for a moment before suddenly exploding in a nasty, raspy cough. It lasted for about a minute before Pox could finally get it under control.  
The truck's cabin was silent for a moment before one of the occupants spoke;

"I am thinking agent Petrov may have been overdoing chloroform…"

"Pox, you alright…?" Crypto then whispered again.

"I've been better…" Pox replied, trying to move his arms, but couldn't. "What in the musky name of Arkvoodle happened…?!"

"I dunno… Sounds to me like we've been kidnapped by the Ivans…"

"But that's impossible…!" Pox let out. "Their aeronautical technology should be far too primitive for them to be able to reach the Mothership, let alone _undetected_…!"

"Yeah, well, let's skip the part where we try to find out how they did it and start focussin' on how we're gonna get outta this, alright…?"

But right at that moment, the truck came to a halt, its engine shut down and the two Furons could hear the other two occupants in front getting out. Seconds later, the canvas and tailgate at the other end of the compartment Pox and Crypto were in opened, revealing two Soviet agents dressed in winter uniforms.

"Look, they have both woken up." one of them casually remarked, and then leaned over, grabbing the rope that held both Furons' wrists together.

The agent then dragged them across the truck floor to prepare to take them out of it.  
He got a hold of Crypto as the other agent held Pox and they then simultaneously lifted them out of the truck and onto the ground.

Apparently they expected Pox to be able to stand, which he wasn't, and the moment the agents let go of him he fell through his legs, onto his butt in the cold snow, dragging a surprised Crypto with him.  
The Soviet agents looked down at them slightly confused for a moment.

"I am _really_ thinking Petrov overdid chloroform."

Slightly dazed, Pox shook his head for a moment before wildly looking around.  
They had stopped near a military facility of sorts, clearly in the middle of a frozen nowhere, and more Soviets were already coming their way.

Despite his wrists being restrained, Pox immediately threw the two agents from the truck backwards just by looking at them, causing them to land several yards away on their backs in the snow, their feet up in the air.  
As the approaching men reacted to the situation by quickening their pace to a sprint, Pox levitated any- and everything within his reach, letting rocks, a traffic sign, one of the agents and a moose all fly around haphazardly.

Crypto was starting to become a bit intimidated as his Commander almost appeared to be losing control, with soon even the large army truck suddenly jolting into the air, being sent off bowling over three agents before disappearing up into the air in mere seconds.

The warrior clone needed the use of his hands to be able to use his psychokinesis, for without them he couldn't focus properly, but Pox's highly advanced abilities appeared to know no boundaries as the Furon Commander was now snapping trees and sending them flying like arrows in an attempt to kill as many agents as possible.  
Crypto could hear his mentor panting furiously as he crazed upon the Russians, and at the same time felt him trying to get his arms loose.

"Pox, slow down, dammit…!" the warrior clone let out, becoming more and more freaked out. "How're we gonna get out of this place if you kill and destroy everything…?!"

But Pox didn't seem to be listening, completely drawn into his nearly insane fear and fury as he caused pandemonium to the immediate environment, while the Russians seemed to just keep on coming.

One of the first agents to be flinged on his back finally got up, and looked in amazement as dozens of trees, boulders and other random things zoomed around madly, knocking over humans and crashing into eachother.

"Stalin's yelda, you are not seeing that every da-_AAIEEEEEE!_"

The Ivan was then hurled backwards and high up, before falling down and disappearing into the woods.

Pox and Crypto's surroundings were now a mentally induced battlefield of dead, injured and unconscious humans, large fragments of wood, shattered rock, flaming tires and a wrecked stationary machine gun, and Pox seemed inexhaustible as he immediately attacked any human that appeared.

Until one of the nearby agents managed to fire his gun, shooting Pox in his right lower leg.  
Crypto felt Pox jolt and at the same time heard him make a cry of pain, with all of the levitating objects instantly falling out of the sky.  
Several other agents immediately leaped over to the two Furons, quickly blindfolding Pox.

"Get off him, you freakin' monkeys!" Crypto spat at them, now also furiously trying to get his arms free and even attempting to bite the humans that got near enough.

"Be keeping it down, Furon!" the agent that had shot Pox barked at him as he neared and now aimed his gun at Crypto. "Or I will shoot you as well! Markov! Putin! Be taking them inside!"

Two other agents then pulled Pox and Crypto up and unceremoniously dragged them towards the nearby KGB complex.


	3. An Angel

Once inside, there was little the two Furons could do as they were taken through a long corridor, with Crypto seeing numerous thick steel doors passing by, each carrying a number and sometimes other markings in Cyrillic on their faded paint coats.  
After crossing a long portion of the corridor, the three humans finally stopped, and the agent that was not carrying either Furon unlocked the door they had halted at.

The other two then dragged their captives inside and tossed them onto the floor before leaving the room again, and it was subsequently slammed shut and locked.  
After the humans' leaving footsteps died down, all Crypto could hear were the vague sounds of other metal doors slamming throughout the complex, and Pox, softly whimpering as he sat shaking behind him.

He was clearly freezing, terrified, and in agony, both Furons unable to see that his shot leg was bleeding quite seriously.  
Crypto could only feel intensely sorry for the poor guy as his violent trembling only seemed to be getting worse.

The warrior clone then held one of Pox's hands, entangling his fingers with his in an attempt to calm him down.

"Just take it easy, Poxy…" he softly spoke, though also dreading what was to happen next as he stared at the cold cell wall in front of him. "We're gonna get out of this, ya hear me? These freakin' monkeys can't keep us down for long, I'm gonna rip their puny heads off as soon as I get even the slightest chance. Just hang in there, Poxy, alright…?"

Pox didn't reply, he just sat there trying to keep himself together, feeling his right leg slowly growing even colder than the rest of his body.  
Moments later, the cell door opened again, and three humans, clearly more KGB agents, stepped inside before the door was closed again.

Crypto quickly let go of Pox's hands, looking up as the humans lined up side by side in front of them.  
They stood looking down at the two Furons for a moment as Crypto angrily stared back, until one of them finally stepped forward.

"So," the human started, his uniform bearing a few more emblems than that of the other two. "We are finally having caught you Furons. Thinking you can outsmart Soviet Union, are you?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Boris, you Ruskies're not that interesting." Crypto barked back.

Immediately the agent took a step forward and hit Crypto square in his face, making him instantly avert it in pain.

"Silence!" the human spat at him. "We know why you are here, Furon! Why you are _really_ here! You are wanting to destroy Soviet Union and kill our precious leaders!"

"What the hell are you on…?!" Crypto let out, staring back in his direction with a confused frown. "We don't give a damn about this freakin' deepfreeze wasteland you call a country! Not even the Furon DNA in your pathetic brains is of quality worth freezin' my balls off for!"

To which the human slammed his fist to the warrior clone's head again, this time even harder.

"_Silence!_" he boomed once more. "You are knowing what I am referring to! You cannot be fooling us, chuzoy! We are not being like idiot Americanskies!"

Crypto had to take a moment to recover, his face already hurting like hell.  
Pox just kept quiet, the commotion he could hear but not see only heightening his fear.

"Yeah, you're right, Ivan." Crypto then responded. "From what I hear you vodka swillin' squareheads are even worse."

The Soviet agent then once again made a fist, along with a matching look of fury on his mug, but one of the other agents grabbed his arm to stop him before he could latch out.

"Be calming yourself, comrade." the other agent spoke. "He is clearly not cooperating. Be trying other one first before beginning torture proceedings."

The interrogating agent gave an angry grunt before lowering his arm.

"Fineski." he growled. "Why is he wearing blindfold?"

"I am not knowing. But have heard we must absolutely not be removing it for reasons we will not be believing."

The first agent then stepped towards Pox, now standing behind Crypto's back, out of his view, which madly frustrated the warrior clone. If they laid one hairy finger on Pox he'd rip 'em a new asshole…!  
Pox seemed aware someone was now standing in front of him, as Crypto felt him slightly shirking together, anticipating to whatever bad kind of thing was to happen next.

The still visually impaired Furon then jolted as the human touched his face, tilting it up by his chin to take a better look at him.

"Are you being scared, Furonski…?" the KGB agent asked him menacingly.

Pox said nothing, assuming it was quite obvious he was terrified at this point.

"Well, you are being right to be being scared." the human continued. "I am seeing you have already been making acquaintance to fine Soviet military craftsmanship…"

The agent then lowered his hand to the wound on Pox's leg, and suddenly dug his fingers into his flesh.  
Pox let out a high pitched groan of agony, wanting to draw away his immobile legs but the poor Furon could hardly even move his arms at the moment.

"Keep your filthy monkey paws off him, you _freakin' bastard!_" Crypto suddenly exploded in fury.

The human just let out a mean laugh, continuing to ravish Pox's injuries and making him whimper and cry out in pain while being powerless to stop it.  
Crypto again furiously tried to free himself, panting and grunting in rage.

"_I'm gonna kill you ugly Ruski turds, ya hear me?!_" he yelled madly. "_You're gonna pay for screwin' with us, you miserable, drunk, Cyrillic stinkin' simians!_ _I'll rip out your guts with one phylangeopod tied behind my-_"

But he instantly fell silent as he heard a gun being cocked.  
What Crypto couldn't see was that it was being held to Pox's forehead.

There was a moment of intense silence as Pox felt the cold metal of the gun's barrel against his skin, expecting it to go off at any second.

"Be watching your tongue, Furon," the agent finally spoke. "Or I will be needing to call for janitor to mop up your friend's brain."

Crypto then stayed silent, feeling Pox shaking violently again.  
Then, suddenly, the cell's door opened, revealing another Soviet agent.

But this one was quite unlike the others.  
It was a female, beautiful blonde, clearly fit and strong yet still very curvaceous and feminine. She looked defined and confident as she looked around the cell, ignoring her ogling collegues.

"Whoa…" Crypto let out. "Ten minutes with her and I'll tell you anything…"

"Crypto…!" Pox subsequently squeaked.

"Agent Ivanova." the interrogating agent spoke, retreating his gun. "What is bringing us honor of your bewitching company today?"

"I am taking over this interrogation." she stated. "And just in time, I see. Agent Petrov was being worried about your short fuse."

"We are handling this just fine, spasiba. We are not needing your help."

"Oh, da…? Then tell me, what have you found out?"

The male agents looked at eachother, trying to come up with an answer. With no result.

"Uh-huh." agent Ivanova huffed. "Just get out. I'll handle this."

The other KGB agents then reluctantly left the cell, leaving the female agent by herself with the two captive Furons before closing the door behind them.

"Well," the blonde then started, turning towards the two extraterrestrials. "You two sure have gotten yourself into trouble."

"I can imagine things far worse, dollface." Crypto replied, giving her a seductive grin. "What's your name, cupcake…?"

The female agent then squatted in front of him, and with a lowered voice she spoke,

"The name is Natalya. Now it is very important you tell me what you know of the top Soviet government."

"Look, I told your fellow agents, we don't want anything from you Ruskies…! Stop being so freakin' paranoid…!"

"Can we stop this interrogation, please, I think I've had a heart attack…" Pox then spoke up.

"I am not interrogating you, spaceman, I am needing you help…!" Natalya told him. "Listen. Lately, strange things have been going on in the Kremlin, incredibly advanced machinery is being used by Red Army, and now, there is being secret operation to capture so called 'alien enemies of the USSR'. I have seen the spaceship my collegues used to reach yours, and it was being like nothing I had ever seen before. The KGB has files about you, spaceman, and the machines and vessels you use are nothing like what the Soviet Union has now."

"W-what're you sayin'…?" Crypto asked, not really understanding where she was going.

"I am saying I am thinking something is very, very wrong in the Kremlin, and I am needing your help to find out what or who it is, since they obviously are desperate to destroy you even though you've never actually posed a threat to the Soviet Union."

"Why should we help you…?" Pox then asked, his voice shaky.

Natalya then got up and crouched in front of Pox, removing his blindfold.  
Despite his freezing agony and still quite overwhelming fear, now that he could see her, Pox had to conclude Natalya was indeed quite attractive.

"Because if you don't," she told him, "My collegues won't stop trying to hunt you down and destroy you and your Mothership."

"We'd love to help, cupcake, but we're kinda tied up at the moment." Crypto reminded her.

"I will help you escape." Natalya replied. "Getting you out of here will be the easiest part of this whole ordeal."

She then got up, and walked towards the cell door.  
She partially opened it, causing the three agents standing at the other side to nearly fall into the cell because they had been listening at the door.  
They quickly and awkwardly recomposed themselves as Natalya spoke,

"These little bastards are being tougher than they look. Can someone go getting my Makarov?"

"Be getting it yourself." one of the agents replied. "We are having better things to be doing."

"I am nearly breaking them." Natalya replied. "If I leave now I'll have to start all over again. Just go get it, da, comrade? It is being in my private room. Key is being inside boot next to doormat, and my Makarov is lying somewhere inside my panty drawer."

The three agents then fell over eachother as they raced off to go get Natalya's gun, and she closed the door again.

"That will be keeping them busy for a while." she told the two Furons. "I will take you to my car and try to smuggle you out of the base." She then looked down at Pox. "You are not looking so good. I can carry you but that will surely be raising suspicion."

"I'll carry him." Crypto quickly suggested. He wasn't gonna let Pox be the one to get close to her first, that's for sure… "But what about those guys? Won't they mess up your place?"

"My room is being next to supply depot." Natalya replied as she kneeled by the two Furons again, starting to undo the ropes that tied them up. "There are hundreds of boots lying all over the floor. Plus, I am having my gun right here." She then patted the holster on her belt.

"Nice." Crypto grinned.

"I'll pretend I am moving you as prisoners as we make our way to my Volga waiting at the edge of the base." Natalya told them as she undid the last knots. "Once there I'll have a first aid kit with which I'll wrap up your injured leg. Think you'll make it another fifteen minutes?" she asked Pox.

"Do I have a choice…?" Pox asked in reply.

"I suppose not. Just don't speak, either of you, as we walk to my car. Oh, and just so there's no confusion; one false move and I _will_ shoot you."

Natalya then got up, as did Crypto, and the warrior clone prepared to pick Pox up.  
The injured Furon Commander groaned in agony as Crypto lifted him, his immobile legs leaving a smear of blood on the concrete floor.

"Holy crap." Crypto let out as he noticed the red streak of blood. "I think we'd better get a move on, gorgeous…"

"Da, spaceman. Let's go."

Natalya then opened the cell door again, and peeked out left and right for a second before gesturing to Crypto to follow her.  
The warrior clone left the cell with Pox and Natalya closed it behind them before grabbing her gun.

"Alright." she said. "We go all the way through this corridor."

She walked behind the two Furons as Crypto made his way down the hall, pretending to keep her weapon at the ready as she escorted her prison actors.  
A few agents looked on a little suspiciously as the trio passed, but none seemed to make the effort of asking what Natalya was up to.  
Until they reached the exit of the complex. A door guard immediately drew his gun upon seeing Crypto walk through the door, and tensely pointed it at the alien.

"Stand down, agent Mikhailov." Natalya quickly spoke. "They are my prisoners. I am taking them to first aid post before the small one dies."

"There is being nothing wrong with _that_ one…!" the agent exclaimed, referring to Crypto. "Why are you not carrying horned spaceman?!"

"And get his blood all over my uniform? Besides, the walking one has been hit in the head several times by agent Yakovich, and you are knowing how he is… I am getting him checked up because he has been giving incoherent replies, da?"

Agent Mikhailov looked the two extraterrestrials over once more, his gun shaking in his hands. Crypto just silently stared back while Pox was too busy trying not to pass out.  
The Soviet agent then finally lowered his gun.

"Alright, if you are saying so, agent Ivanova." he then gave in. "Just be being careful, da?"

"Of course, comrade." she replied. "Dasvidanya."

The trio then moved on, agent Mikhailov keeping a spying eye on them before they went around another building, and out of his sight.  
As they passed the corner, Natalya stopped and checked their surroundings for a moment. All seemed clear, so she then unlocked her car which was waiting next to the small building.

"Alright, lay him down on the back seat." she told Crypto, opening the door for him.

Crypto did as she said, placing a violently shaking Pox in the back of the car.  
Natalya then got in on the driver's seat, to which Crypto closed the back door and sat down on the passenger seat.

Natalya got out a first aid kit and a bottle of vodka from the glove compartment, and then turned to Pox, kneeling on her seat and leaning over the backrest of the front seat couch.  
Pox looked back quite terrified, not knowing what to expect and jolting as Natalya picked up his snow soaked robes covering his legs and lifted them up to reveal his wound.

"Blaya muha…" she let out. "That must really hurt…"

Natalya then got the top off the vodka bottle and turned to Crypto, whom snapped to attention after checking out her posterior.

"Alright, spaceman. Get on the back seat behind him and hold him down, da?"

"What?" Pox squeaked, not understanding what she was planning.

Crypto climbed over the front seats' backrest and sat down on his knees behind Pox's back, grabbing him underneath his arms and dragging him up a bit.  
Natalya then got out a piece of white cloth and soaked it in vodka.

"W-what are you doing…?!" Pox asked, already feeling Crypto restricting him in his movements as he fearsomely tried to resist.

"We need to disinfect that gunshot wound, comrade." Natalya told him. "Brace yourself."

She then pressed the dripping rag to Pox's flesh, the vodka immediately burning its way into it.  
Pox cried out in agony, which subsequently turned to whimpering as Natalya continued to dab the cloth over his injury to make sure it was properly cleaned.

Cold sweat was now on Pox's brow, and Crypto had hardly felt him fighting, now he was just shaking while letting out small noises in pain.

"He is turning pale." Natalya concluded, and then sat back up straight, starting to take off her coat.

Crypto stared at her with wide eyes as her coat revealed a tightly fitting light brown turtleneck sweater, which accentuated her feminine curves.

"Put this around him." Natalya then told Crypto, handing him her winter coat. "He is needing it."

Crypto took the coat from her, almost mesmerized, and could already sense Natalya's scent on it. He looked at it for a second before his eyes slowly glided back to Natalya.

"Spaceman…?!" she impatiently let out.

"Uh, yeah… Okay…"

Crypto then put the coat around Pox, feeling completely jealous towards him about it.  
Natalya started to wrap up his wound, skillfully bandaging it.  
In the meantime Pox's breathing had started to become heavy, and eventually, just as Natalya finished the bandage, he slowly went limp.  
Both Crypto and Natalya noticed.

"Ah, crap…!" Crypto let out. "He didn't die now, did he…?!"

"I don't think so, spaceman." Natalya said, feeling Pox's wrist. "He just passed out."

"Oh…"

Natalya took another look at Pox, and then leaned down, reaching underneath the back seat, looking for something.

"Alright, take off his clothes, please, spaceman." she told Crypto as she rummaged around.

Crypto looked a little confused, also taking another look at Pox for a second.

"Uh, I dunno, dollface, this is hardly the time for it…" he mumbled. "And uh, doesn't it count as rape if he's-…"

"_Toopoy otvratytjely chusoy_!" Natalya suddenly yelled as she furiously looked up. "I am not talking about a threesome! If we do not take those wet clothes off him he will be dying of hypothermia!"

Natalya then threw a thick heavy blanket right in Crypto's face, startling him, and started taking off the skirt of Pox's robes herself.

"Yeez, sorry…" Crypto quietly let out as he took the blanket off his head, completely embarrassed with himself.

He then timidly helped her, undoing the shoulderpiece and turtleneck sweater Pox wore before Natalya wrapped the big old blanket around the frail and still unconscious Furon.

"There." Natalya sighed, putting her coat back around his shoulders over the cover.

"So… uh, what do we do now…?"

"We leave." Natalya replied, and turned around on her seat, sitting down.

She then started the car, again checking their surroundings before moving the vehicle, covertly leaving the base.

******  
****Sorry for the long chapter. I don't normally think and write in chapters. o.O**


	4. GAZ

As they drove off over the unpaved road, into the wilderness, Natalya kept checking the rear view mirrors to make sure they were not being followed.  
Crypto couldn't help looking behind him either, constantly checking Pox, whom just lay there with his eyes closed, covered by Natalya's coat.  
Natalya had turned on the radiator, which greatly helped to raise the car temperature to a more comfortable value while driving though the Siberian cold.  
There was a rather tense silence in the car for nearly twenty minutes until Natalya finally spoke;

"So, your name is Crypto, is it…?"

"That's right, babe. The one and only."

"And what is his name…?"

"Orthopox…" Crypto replied. "Though most folks always call him 'Pox'… So, uh, where're we headed?"

"Irkutsk." Natalya told him. "It's two hours from here. It is my home town and I am needing to pick up a few things before we can move on."

"Yeah, move on to do what exactly?"

"I'm not sure yet." Natalya admitted. "My plan was to try and return you to your spaceship so that you can think of a plan of sorts with the alien technology you have, but that means we'll have to try and steal one of the _other_ alien spaceships that Soviet Union is now being in possession of. I think we should wait until your comrade wakes up. He is being your commander, da?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that…" Crypto mumbled. "But I think he'll be a bit too freaked out to think properly once he comes to…"

"Why don't you go try and wake him up…?" Natalya suggested. "Or at least be checking if he is not dead."

"I dunno, I uh… I think I'd much rather sit here with you…"

Crypto slowly trailed his left hand towards the gear stick, softly and seductively twiddling his fingers over Natalya's right hand.  
For a moment, Natalya seemed surprised, yet kept her eyes on the road.

"You'd better watch yourself, spaceman, or you will be _walking_ the rest of the way back to your Mothership." she warned him. "If you are not caring about your commander then I will check on him…"

"No, no, I'll go take a look…" Crypto quickly said.

He then somewhat reluctantly climbed back to the back seat and sat down next to Pox.  
After looking at his motionless facial features, the warrior clone picked up his commander's wrist and felt it intently.  
To his relief, there was a pulse. Crypto then gently started to shake Pox's arm a bit, trying to get a reaction.

"C'mon, Poxy, time to wake up…" he spoke, keeping a close eye on his mentor for any response. "I've dealt with worse than what you have today, ya know…? You're just bein' a wuss now, so snap out of it…"

Even taunting him didn't seem to work, and after nudging Pox's shoulder a few times, Crypto was at a loss for ideas.

"He's not wakin'." he sighed. "Should I slap him in the face?"

"Nyet, I don't think you should." Natalya replied. "We will try again later. You should stay on the back seat, though. We are nearing a town and I need to refuel."

"Refuel? Are you sure?" Crypto asked a little worried. "What if someone sees us?"

"I won't take long. Just sit on the floor of the car with your comrade."

As Crypto got up for a moment and looked past Natalya through the windscreen, he could see the town was just up ahead.  
He couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. They were in quite a vulnerable position right now…

"You should get down now." Natalya told him. "Stay as low as you can."

Crypto did as she told him, sitting down on his behind on the floor of the car, and once he sat properly, he dragged Pox off the back seat on to his lap.  
As soon as he saw buildings up through the car windows, he pulled Pox closer and leaned back as far as he could.  
Natalya eventually pulled the car over to a small gas station, and after Crypto felt them coming to a halt, Natalya turned off the engine.

"Stay quiet, Crypto." she whispered to him. "This should only take a few minutes…"

She then stepped out of the vehicle, closing the door behind her.  
Crypto couldn't help his slightly fluttering heart. She called him Crypto…

After a brief moment he could hear Natalya undoing the tank lid, and soon heard the fuel rushing in. As he looked up spying through one of the car door windows, with a little strain he could just see a wave of Natalya's golden hair.

But he quickly shirked together as another human appeared right next to the car, stopping next to Natalya.

"Natalya." the human spoke, sounding quite acquainted. "What is bringing you here?"

"Oh, pryvyet, comrade." Natalya replied, sounding casual. "Just refuelling for my way home."

"Weren't you being stationed in Cholodniy base…?"

"Da, but I am taking leave for a few days. My mother is being very ill."

"Oh, sorry to hear, krolishka… Can I be helping in any way…?"

Crypto sat as still as a shrew, keeping a sharp eye on the human. By the look and sound of it he was also a KGB agent, and if he turned his face even slightly he would be looking right at the two Furons in the car.

"As much as I'd love your help, tovarisch, I need to do this alone…" Natalya replied.

At that moment, Crypto felt Pox ever so slightly moving an arm, and soon he let out a few small noises, clearly starting to regain consciousness.  
As he came to, he soon became aware of the fact he was in the cramped space between the back- and front seats of the car, seeing his own clothes lying in front of him, and eventually also noticed Crypto's arms and legs around him.  
Crypto clearly sensed him already starting to freak out, and felt him beginning to wriggle around in confusion at his predicament.

"Crypto…?!" he began. "What's going on…?! Where are-"

But Crypto quickly silenced him by holding a hand to his mouth, and pulled him back down with his back against his chest.

"Sorry, Poxy…" he whispered, sensing he had now scared his mentor. "But we need to stay quiet, I'll explain later…"

"If you are sure, Natalya…" they heard the male agent say. "Safe journey, and I hope your mother will feel better soon."

"Thank you, Sergei."

Crypto then saw the agent kiss the back of Natalya's hand before he left, and the warrior clone couldn't help a jealous frown appearing on his brow.  
Seconds later, Natalya got back in the car and started the engine, not looking at the two Furons yet. Once she had driven the car out of the small town, back onto the unpaved woodland road, she glanced back at them.

Crypto had finally let go of Pox, whom still looked confused and a bit scared.

"Who was that guy back there…?" Crypto asked while getting up and helping Pox back on the back seat.

"A colleague of mine." Natalya curtly replied. "So, you are back with us." she then said to Pox. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been drugged, kidnapped, shot in my leg and poisoned with ethanol… All in a deepfreeze." Pox replied, obviously not sounding happy.

"Well, da, sorry about that." Natalya told him. "But that wound needed disinfecting."

"Got any idea how we're gonna get back to the Mothership yet…?" Crypto asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Crypto!" Pox exclaimed. "I was a little busy being half dead so I didn't get around to it!"

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault you're such a big wuss you can't even handle a little gunshot wound…!"

"You're just too _ignorant_ to-…!"

"Boys, boys…!" Natalya interrupted. "It is still a long way to Irkutsk so be nice, da? We need to tred carefully and be thinking our steps through properly, so no fighting, please. We will think of a way."

"But what about that guy you just spoke to?" Crypto asked. "The KGB are gonna notice two freakin' aliens are missing from their base, if they haven't already, and they're gonna hunt us down, right? They'll figure out it was you who helped us escape, and now one of your colleagues knows where're we're goin'!"

"Sergei will never betray me." Natalya told him. "We can count on that. As long as we keep moving we'll keep our head start. And besides, after I've picked up my things at home no one will know what our destination is."

"Do _we_ even know…?" Pox asked.

"Da, of course, comrade. I have a dacha far from town, deep in the woods. No one knows I own it and no one will find us there. It will be a safe place to plan our next move."


	5. Irkutsk

So the trio drove on, keeping up a safe speed as the Volga sped over the unpaved woodland road, on which a thin fresh layer of snow was forming.  
Snowflakes blew over the windshield in increasing intensity all the way to Irkutsk, and by the time the two Furons and their blonde KGB rescuer drove past the city limits, the weather had evolved into a full-blown snowstorm and the sun had nearly set.

As the two Furons stayed low again Natalya drove to her home, which was on the other side of town, in a suburb of sorts. She parked her car on the driveway and took a good look around to make sure none of the neighbours were near or watching. She then looked back at her escapees.

"Alright, it's just a few meters to the front door from here." she told them. "Crypto, after I unlock it you can run over with a blanket over you. I'll carry your comrade in, after I've thrown another cover over him. We're in luck it's snowing so badly, it's difficult to see anything in this weather so we should be safe."

"Got it, goldie."

Natalya then got out of the car, and hurried over to her house through the snow. She quickly unlocked her front door and stepped inside.  
As soon as she had, Crypto threw a cover over himself, opened the car door and ran over to her.

Natalya quickly took the blanket from him and went back, heading over to Pox still waiting in the Volga.

"Ready, comrade?" she asked him.

"Yes…" Pox squeaked.

Natalya then tossed the cover over him and quickly yet carefully picked him up off the back seat, and kicked the car door closed. She then hurried back inside the house where Crypto closed the door behind her.

"Phew, looks like we made it…" she sighed. "So, welcome to my home."

Pox removed the blanket from his head, and took a look around him at the old Soviet house.  
Though they were inside, it was still cold and dark. There only seemed to be around three or four rooms, all on a ground floor.

"No offense, dollface, but I'm freezin' my balls off in this dump." Crypto told her. "Don't they pay you enough to buy something better?"

"It's not mine, I'm a tenant." Natalya replied. "And nyet, I don't make that much money, actually. Maybe if I get promoted sometime I'll move in something better. But don't worry, my dacha will be a bit more comfortable."

"Yeah, well, then get the stuff you need quick so we can get outta here…"

"Sorry, spaceman…" Natalya sighed as she walked further into the house and into her bedroom, set Pox on the double bed and then glanced out the window. "We will not be going anywhere in this weather. We will be stuck here until the storm passes."

"Ah, man…" Crypto complained.

"I'll light the heating oil to make things a little more cosy. You boys make yourselves at home, da…?"

Natalya then walked over to a small stove near a wall in the bedroom, and squatted in front of it to light it.  
As she rummaged around, Pox and Crypto silently observed her, yet Crypto kind of stared, or _ogled_ again rather than just observe as he stood near the window.  
Pox sat quietly on the bed, and pulled the covers around him a little tighter as he shivered.

As soon as the stove was properly lit, Natalya walked over to a closet present in the bedroom and got out a suitcase, and started placing some clothes, toiletries and even another gun plus ammo in it.

She paused when she realized the two Furons were prolongedly looking at her.

"You can sit down if you want, Crypto." she remarked. "We should leave very early in the morning so I'll ready my things and then get some sleep."

The only place to sit was on the bed, so Crypto sat down next to Pox.  
Natalya then closed her suitcase and stood up.

"There. Now let's get some clothes on you, tovarisch." she told Pox.

Pox seemed a bit startled.

"No, no, I'm fine…" he stammered. "I'll just wait until my own clothes dry…"

"Don't be silly, Orthopox. In this weather it will take _days_ for your clothes to dry and they are far too cold for you now anyway." She then turned around and rummaged in her closet. "I have some pajamas you can borrow, but they'll be a little big for you…"

She then walked over to the bed, carrying some clothes. She placed them on the bed next to Pox and then kneeled in front of him.  
Crypto watched with a frown of jealousy on his face as Natalya gently removed the covers from Pox's shivering shoulders and took them off him, leaving him naked again.  
She then helped a very timid and rather scared Pox into the thick, warm pajamas, being extra careful about his legs.  
Crypto felt himself getting angry. Nat moved so sensually… And dammit, he'd _bet_ Pox was enjoying it. _Lovin_' it, the bastard!

Yet Pox wasn't exactly enjoying it. Natalya still kind of intimidated him.

"There." she said as soon as Pox was properly clothed. "I am going to brush my teeth and change my clothes as well, and then we should get some sleep."

She then stood up and walked out the bedroom, closing the door behind her to keep in the warmth.  
The two Furons were silent for a moment until Crypto said;

"She sure is hot, ain't she…?"

"I'll admit she is very attractive." Pox said in reply. "For a human…"

"Yeah, and she digs me, I can tell…"

"Don't even think of getting involved with her, Crypto…!" Pox warned him. "We're in dire straits, stranded on this filthy planet…! This is no time for you to let yourself be led by your hormones…!"

"Oh yeah…?! Then why were you practically _droolin_' just now when she touched you…?!"

" '_Drooling_…?' " Pox repeated, quite disgusted. "She was merely helping me…! You're just jealous she's been caring towards me while all you've done is making inappropriate remarks…!"

Crypto then suddenly lunged for him, knocking them both off the bed and onto the ground, where the warrior clone pinned Pox to the floor by his shoulders, furiously baring his sharp teeth at him.

The bedroom door then opened, and Natalya came back in. She immediatly looked surprised at the sight of the two.

"What is going on here…?" she asked as Crypto looked up from a terrified Pox.

"U-uh…"

"Oh, da, very brave and mature of you, Crypto, to attack a wounded comrade. May I ask what this is about…?"

Crypto quickly let go of his injured mentor and got off him.

"Nothin'… Nothin', babe…" he mumbled. "Just guy stuff…"

Natalya then went over to Pox and kneeled next to him, helping him sit up.

"Are you alright, comrade?" she asked him.

"Yes, yes…" Pox uneasily replied. "I'm fine…"

"Your wound is bleeding again." Natalya noticed. "I'll have to redo the bandage."

She then stood back up and headed over to a small wooden cabinet standing next to the larger closet, and rummaged around in it.  
Again Crypto stared her over as she stood with her back to him, and extensively took in her new outfit. Unfortunately for the warrior clone, Natalya wasn't dressed in the skimpy, lacy black nightgown he'd hoped for, but another big and thick pair of dull, light brown pajamas.  
Yet still, she looked hot.

After having found what she was after, some medical things, Natalya went back over to Pox.  
Whether he liked it or not, she picked him up off the cold floor and set him back on the bed. As Pox silently observed she undid the blood stained cloth around his right leg.  
Meanwhile, Crypto sat down on the bed next to his Commander again to keep a close eye on the two…

"Blin…" Natalya mumbled. "I am thinking the bullet is still in there… If I try and remove it you will most likely end up bleeding even worse, yet if we are leaving it the wound might get infected…"

"Just leave it, babe." Crypto told her. "We'll try and pry it out when we get back to the Mothership."

"If we ever make it there…" Natalya said as she started to rebandage Pox's leg, adding some gauze. "And even if we do it might take us several days."

"You said your country's army has strange looking spaceships…" Pox then started. "Can you describe what they looked like?"

"Da, a little… From what I have seen they were made of a dark, almost black or very dark green metal-like material on their exterior, and they looked very pointy and alien… I have heard some soldiers who were ordered to clean the engines had to be treated for acute radiation sickness and some even died. I have only seen one spaceship, and only caught a glimpse of it, but right away I noticed its doors. They were far larger than necessary for any human being."

Pox listened and frowned, staring at his lap as he thought deeply.

"Sound familiar?" Crypto asked him.

"Yes, a little…" Pox replied. "But I can't quite place it…"

"Well, you can sleep on it, then." Natalya said as she finished the bandage. "We must not rush our conclusions. We should leave around 4 in the morning, for another one-and-a-half hour drive to my dacha. Once there we should be able to think in peace. I'm afraid we'll all have to sleep in this bed, the rest of the house is far too cold."

Natalya then got out her gun and placed it under her pillow.

"Hey dollface, ya wouldn't happen to have another pair of those fashionable pajamas, would you…?" Crypto asked her. "My suit's kinda dirty and I don't wanna mess up your bed and all…"

"Nyet, I'm afraid I only have two." she replied. "But I have a sweater you can borrow."

After walking back to the small cabinet and placing the bandage supplies back, Natalya opened her closet once more and after reaching inside, she tossed a sweater over to the warrior clone.  
He skillfully caught it, yet was a little disappointed. He'd hoped Natalya would help him change into it…

"Thanks, cupcake…" he sighed, and then proceeded to take off his uniform while Natalya climbed onto the bed.

"Since you two do not seem to get along very well, I will lie in the middle, da?" Natalya said. "And I am wanting to _sleep_, so no jokes, either of you. You will regret them." she then warned.

"Whatever you say, goldie…" Crypto replied with a grin after pulling the sweater over his head, and walked over to the bed.

"You know, I don't think this is such a good idea…" Pox spoke up, sounding a little nervous. "How about I sleep in the car…?"

"Nonsense, spaceman, you will freeze to death." Natalya told him. "Don't be shy…! I won't bite you."

"Will you bite me, then…?" Crypto asked with an even randier grin than before as he crawled over to her.

With a simple push Natalya shoved him off the bed, making him clumbsily stumble to the floor.

"Watch it, chusoy." she growled. "Or _you_ will be sleeping on a bed of crisp, white snow."

"Okay, okay… Yeez…" Crypto mumbled as he climbed back onto the bed and under the covers.

He angrily watched as Natalya helped Pox underneath the blankets before getting under them herself.  
Still nervous, cold and very uneasy, Pox timidly lay down as Natalya got settled behind him, mere inches away.

"Well." Natalya sighed. "Good night, tovarischi…"

She then flipped a switch on the wall, and the room went dark, save for an orange glow coming from the oil heater.  
Crypto waited for Natalya to lie down properly before lying down himself. He wanted to be careful not to make her angry by touching her… yet…  
He then audibly shivered for a moment.

"Gah, it sure is cold, huh…? How 'bout I hold myself against you, cupcake, to help you get warm…?"

"How about you sleep on the floor…?"

An inaudible mumble came for the warrior clone in the dark and the room went silent again.  
Facing the door of the room, which was nearly invisible in the but dimly lit room, Pox stared at the small orange flames dancing in the heater near it. He didn't expect to be able to sleep.  
There was a human right behind him, his leg was still killing him and it had to be minus twenty in this primitive den…

Arkvoodle knows how many minutes passed, with the wind howling outside and the room only slowly warming up, when Pox suddenly felt two arms closing around him, and a small sigh coming from behind him.  
A gasp escaped his lips and he froze in terror, feeling Natalya's chest against his back.  
She seemed to already be asleep, as Pox hardly sensed any mental activity from her. Not that he could focus very well right now…

Why did she have to hold _him_…?! Why not Crypto, he wanted it the most…!  
Pox did not dare to move, yet Natalya seemed to even crawl a bit closer.  
Brains, if Crypto saw this, he would hate Pox for it for the next two or three millenia…

But as the moments passed, and Pox listened to Natalya's quiet breathing, he suddenly became aware of her scent.  
A very subtle, a very _sweet_ scent…

Pox's Furonity finally took over, and he relaxed as he breathed it in.  
Maybe this wasn't so bad after all…

As Pox slowly sailed off to sleep, on the other side of the bed Crypto was still wide awake.  
What the hell was he doin' in this freakin' freezin' bed anyway if he didn't get to do anything? Furons didn't need sleep, dammit, unless they were half dead. He just lay there, turning over a few times, trying to get himself warm and trying not to think of the hot chick lying _right freakin' next to him!_

It seemed like hours passed, before the warrior clone finally decided he couldn't take it anymore.  
He carefully scooted closer to Natalya's back, and positioned himself right behind her.

After listening intently to make sure she was still sleeping, Crypto then carefully placed a hand on one of her tighs and slowly ran it up, carefully feeling the curves underneath the pajama fabric as he moved it up to her hips.  
He let out a soft, satisfied growl, and moved his hand around to her waist.

But he froze as he heard the click of a gun being cocked, and soon felt Natalya held it nowhere else than to his package.

"Get back to your own side of the bed or I will be neutering you the quick and easy way." Natalya whispered, but with a threatening tone that allowed no doubt about her being serious. "Be a good malchik like your friend Orthopox and go to sleep."

Without a word, Crypto quickly let go of her and carefully wriggled back to his own spot.

*****  
****Another long chapter. Heh. Poor Crypto.**


	6. Let's Motor

The trio then slept quietly for several hours.  
All the while snow piled up outside, being chased around by the frigid winds that tormented the old house. The oil heater had trouble keeping up, not warming the room much more than to around nine degrees centegrade.

It was in the midst of the night when Crypto awoke again.  
As he lay on his side, rubbing an eye for a moment while keeping them closed, he suddenly became aware of a soft noise coming from across the room.  
The warrior clone then listened intently. It didn't sound like it was caused by the wind…  
He heard shuffling sounds, accompanied by an occasional noise, like whimpers, made by a voice Crypto knew all too well.

Crypto carefully sat up, and looked over the sleeping silhouette of Natalya to see Pox, dimly lit by the burning oil as he sat halfway across the room, on the floor.  
Crypto then carefully slid out of the bed and quickly went over to his mentor.

"Pox…?" he whispered. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm bleeding again…" Pox whispered in reply. "I needed fresh bandages…"

"Well, why didn't you wake me, or Nat…?! You know you can't make it over there and back on your own, Pox, even if you hadn't been shot…!"

"I couldn't bring myself to it…" Pox replied silently. "I've been such a burden already…"

"No, no, Pox…" Crypto replied, kneeling next to him. "You're not a burden…! What makes you think that…?! We'd never make it without you, dammit…!"

Tears started to form in Pox's eyes, and Crypto noticed, as they glittered in the orange glow of the quiet flames nearby.

"I don't even know what's going on…!" Pox let out, desperation in his voice. "We'll never make it back to the Mothership…! Arkvoodle knows what they're doing to her as we speak, it might even be gone by now…!"

"Pox…"

"We've failed, Crypto…! The Mothership has been captured and we're powerless down here… If the Homeworld hears of this, I'll be declared a disgrace to the Furon Empire… They'll relieve my of my rank and never want to see my face again, and they'd be right…"

"Pox, don't say that…" Crypto whispered as he tried to take a look at Pox's leg in the dim light, rolling up the leg of his pajama trousers, and was met by moist bandages stained dark red.

"Holy crap…" he then whispered.

"I'm too old for this…" Pox said quietly, his shoulders quivering. "It'll never heal… Oh, how could this have happened, Crypto…? I wish we'd never gone on this mission…! I wish I were home and had never been tasked with saving our race…!"

A soft sob then escaped him as tears ran down his cheeks, and Crypto pulled him close, embracing him in an attempt to comfort him.  
He felt his Commander's shoulders slightly jolting as Pox softly cried on his shoulder, everything becoming too much for him.  
They sat together on the floor in the dark, Crypto holding Pox close as tears quietly ran down the older Furon's cheeks, while he had his eyes tightly closed as he drew in his sobs.

A few hours later, Natalya woke up.  
She was lying in between the two Furons, just like she had when she went to sleep. Several hours before, Crypto had rebandaged Pox's wound and carried him back to the bed, and both had done their best to go back to sleep.  
And with some success, as Natalya was met by two quietly sleeping pale grey faces.

"Crypto…?" she whispered after sitting up, and nudged the warrior clone's shoulder.

Crypto let out a small groan as he woke up, and halfway opened his eyes.

He was met by the sight of Natalya's face, framed by slightly messy blonde locks, and couldn't help a sleepy grin.

"Mornin', dollface…" he greeted her hoarsely.

"Goodmoring, tovarisch." she returned. "It's time to get ready to go."

"Aww, man… The bed's just warmin' up… How about we lie around for a bit longer, maybe do some cuddling…?"

"Nyet." Natalya curtly replied. "You should put your spacesuit back on. I will get ready as well."

"What about him…?" Crypto asked, referring to the still quietly sleeping Pox on Natalya's opposite side.

"Leave him for a little longer. He is needing his sleep…"

Reluctantly, Crypto then slid out of bed and made room for Natalya to get out.  
And so she did, careful not to wake Pox.

"I'll be in the bathroom." she told Crypto. "Make sure you're ready in fifteen minutes."

"Got it, goldie…"

Natalya then headed for the door, and left the room, closing the door behind her.  
Crypto took off the oversized sweater he still had on and traded it for his warrior clone uniform. After hoisting himself in it, he took a peek past the curtains of the bedroom window while he straightened out his attire.

It seemed to have stopped snowing and storming, yet there seemed to be a pack of at least a foot of snow. It was still dark out, yet the sky had cleared and allowed for the moon's silver light to illuminate the white Siberian world.  
Already shivering, Crypto let go of the curtains and looked over to Pox.

He could hear him breathing, and as the warrior clone walked over to him he noticed Pox's facial expression seemed a little troubled.  
He was most likely still in pain, and Crypto couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

"Pox…?" he whispered, carefully placing a hand on one of Pox's shoulders. "Hey Poxy, wake up…"

Pox's eyes closed tighter for a moment, his eyelids shaking. He didn't seem to _want_ to wake up…

"C'mon Poxy, it's time to go…"

Pox then slowly opened his eyes, to see Crypto staring back at him.

"How do you feel…?" Crypto asked him.

Pox didn't reply, he merely let out a small groan as he struggled to sit up.

"What time is it…?" he eventually asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"No idea… Must be around 4 am, since Nat woke me up." Crypto replied. "She's in the bathroom. We're leavin' in ten minutes."

The two Furons then sat on the bed in silence, waiting for Natalya.  
After only five more minutes she appeared back through the bedroom door, already neatly dressed in her winter uniform and her hair styled the same as the day before.  
She switched on the room's electrical light and turned to the oil heater to extinguish it.

She then looked over her shoulder to see both Furons observing her.

"Good, you're both awake." she said. "You might want to put that sweater back on over your spacesuit, tovarisch." she then told Crypto. "It's pretty cold out."

Crypto did as Natalya suggested, picking the sweater up off the bedcovers and pulling it back over his head as Natalya reached inside for something in her closet's drawer.  
She then walked over to the bed, carrying two pairs of thick socks.

"And you should wear these, Orthopox. Here, I'll help you put them on…"

Natalya then removed the covers off Pox and sat down next to his legs, gently rolling up the legs of his pajama trousers.  
She then carefully put both pairs of socks on his feet as Pox watched on timidly, and Crypto observed them with another flash of jealousy.

"There." Natalya said as she straightened out the pajama pants again. "I trust you are both ready to leave…?"

"Guess so, cupcake…"

"Then we are leaving. I'll bring my suitcase to the car first and clear the driveway, then I'll come get you."

Natalya then stood back up and left the room again after picking up the packed suitcase.  
Pox and Crypto heard her leave the house, and a few minutes later, could hear the Volga's engine start.  
Another few minutes later, the bedroom door opened again.

"Alright," Natalya spoke as she walked in. "You take those covers there, Crypto, and I'll carry your comrade. We have to move quickly."

Crypto did as she said and picked up a stack of two or three thick blankets lying on the foot end of the bed as Natalya put another one around Pox and picked him up.  
The warrior clone then accompanied her out the door, through the house and outside, over to the car.  
Natalya placed the weakened Furon Commander on the back seat again, and gestured to Crypto to sit beside him. She then closed the door and hurried back to her house to lock it before taking place on the Volga's driver's seat.

After closing the car door and changing gear, she then let the car slide onto the snowploughed road and began their next trip out of town.


	7. Oh No Ya Don't

As they drove through the darkness, not much was said. Crypto had kept an eye on Pox for a while, whom sat with the covers tightly around him, and tended to keep his eyes closed.  
Thankfully, the Volga's radiator kept its occupants warm again, while outside, snow was yet again starting to fall, adding to what was already there.

About 45 minutes into the journey, Crypto climbed over to the front passenger seat and sat down next to Natalya.

"So…" he began, casually ruffling his fingers on the seat. "You're turnin' your back on the Soviet Union now, huh…? Good for you…"

"Nyet." Natalya replied, seeming a little offended. "On the contrary. I want to save her."

"Oh."

"Things are not the way they used to be anymore. A lot of things don't make sense… And I seem to be the only one who has noticed."

"So what do you think might be goin' on?"

"To be honest, Crypto… I am having no idea." Natalya admitted. "At first, when I heard of plans to capture 'alien enemies', I thought that perhaps, somehow, the United States might have something to do with it all, since they had had trouble with alien creatures before, and perhaps they were responsible for all the advanced machinery in Red Army. However, it is highly unlikely for the Soviet Union and United States to ever team up, even in secret. Plus, that does not explain the sheer size of the spacecraft I've seen. No human would ever need doors as massive as the ones on those."

"But what are _we_ supposed to do about it?" Crypto asked. "They might be after us, but as long as we don't know who they are and as long as they have our freakin' _Mothership_ there ain't much we can do…"

"That is why we are _going_ to find out who they are. At my dacha, we'll think of a plan to steal one of their ships and take back yours. And _then_ we'll plan an attack on whoever's perverting the Soviet Union."

"Could we stop for a moment, please…?" Pox squeaked from the back seat. "I'm not feeling very well…"

Both Crypto and Natalya looked back over to him, a bit alarmed by how weak his voice had sounded. They were further concerned by the conclusion Pox indeed didn't look too good.  
He was pale as death, and had to hold on to one of the car doors to keep himself sitting up.

Natalya quickly pulled over to the side of the road, stopping the car.  
She then turned around on her seat, worriedly looking at Pox as he had begun to pant a little.

"Just take it easy, comrade." she told him. "We can stop for a while. Do you need anything…?"

Pox didn't reply. An uncomfortable feeling was starting to form in his throat, and despite trying to swallow it away, he couldn't get rid of it. It only grew worse, to a point Pox hurried to open the car door and leaned out, afraid he was going to be sick.  
Yet nothing happened.

As he lay there, on his chest on the back seat, trying to catch his breath, his head started to feel light and his vision went black.  
Both Natalya and Crypto saw him apparently almost passing out, and the warrior clone had to react like lightning, jumping over to the back seat and grabbing Pox before he slid out of the car.  
He quickly pulled the door closed again as he held Pox, and then took a look at him as Pox sat a bit limply against his chest.

"Pox, are you alright…?!" he asked, kind of freaked out by how cold his mentor felt.

"He is looking dreadful, comrade…" Natalya whispered worriedly.

Not only was that true, but even worse, Crypto could sense Pox was fading. And what perhaps disturbed him even more was that Pox wasn't fighting it.

"Pox, you're gonna be okay, ya hear me…?!" he told him, clearly starting to get a little emotional. "Don't you dare give up now…!"

Pox didn't seem to be listening, as Crypto sensed him practically giving in to death tempting him. For him, it wasn't just giving up, it was admitting his defeat. He had failed the Furon Empire and thus deserved to die…

But Crypto was not going to let him go that easily.  
He pulled his nearly lifeless mentor closer and held him tight, closing his own eyes as his emotions almost overwhelmed him.

"We can't make it without you, Pox…! J-just think of the Emperor…! You've been loyal to that bastard all your thirteen lives, and now you're just quitting on him…? We should get even with the bastards who did this to us, Pox, not die and let them win…!"

Crypto's words did not seem to do much. He wasn't even sure Pox could hear him…

"Dammit Pox…" Natalya heard him say as Crypto pulled Pox even closer, as if trying to keep the last bit of life from escaping his body. "I can't bring you back this time… You can't just leave me like this…"

Natalya's eyes then widened as she witnessed an orange glow coming from Crypto's hands as he held them on Pox's back. The light seemed to seep into his body, but Natalya wasn't sure what it meant, and Crypto didn't even seem to be aware of what he was doing.

It lasted for about half a minute as Crypto quietly held Pox.  
Then, both Crypto and Natalya were utterly surprised to see Pox slightly lifting his head, looking Crypto in the eyes and oddly blinking at him, looking lots better than he had just a second ago.

"Pox…?" Crypto said, confused. "A-are you okay…?"

"Yes…" Pox replied, sounding equally confused. "I think so…"

"What did you do, Crypto…?" Natalya asked in wonder.

"I dunno, dollface…" Crypto responded. "I guess I talked some sense into the guy."

"No, no. Your hands. I saw your hands glowing…"

"Glowin'…?" Crypto repeated. "My hands don't glow, cupcake, 'cept when I'm usin' my psychokinesis."

"Well, they glowed." Natalya told him. "Kind of orange."

"Nah, it must've been your imagination, dollface…"

Natalya gave him a small frown.

"Well, anyway, tovarischi…" she then said. "If you are feeling better again, Orthopox, we should continue our way to keep our head start."

Pox gave a small nod, still a bit timid of all that had just happened.

"Good."

Natalya then sat back down and restarted the Volga.


	8. Snow, Snow, Bloody Snow!

And so they drove on through the snow, the pack of it only seeming to become thicker and thicker as they progressed along the rural road. Thick up to a point the Volga got stuck several times, Crypto having to get out and use his psychokinesis to shove the car out of the slippery mush.  
But eventually, with only around 20 miles left to go, it became clear it was impossible to move on through the now nearly two feet of snow.  
So Natalya had manoeuvered the Volga to the side of the road and shut down the engine.

"So we're stuck here?" Crypto asked, clearly unhappy.

"Da, comrade. For now." Natalya replied. "We have little other choice than to wait for the snowstorm to pass."

She sighed and proceeded to rummage around in the glove compartment of the car.

"Make room, tovarisch." she then said, and climbed over the backrest of the front seats, sitting down on the back seat, in between Pox and Crypto.

"Hold this." She shoved a bottle of vodka in Crypto's hands, and reached underneath the back seat to grab a blanket which she then wrapped around herself.

"We might as well get settled." Natalya then sighed, and also produced two shotglasses from underneath the back seat.

She took the bottle from Crypto and handed him the two glasses, and proceeded to undo the top of the bottle.

"This is hardly the time for drinking…!" Pox exclaimed. "We should use our precious time to come up with a strategy…!"

"We can do both, Orthopox. Would you care for a drink, too…? It wil help keep you warm."

"No, thank you." Pox growled.

"Suit yourself."

Natalya then poured the clear liquid into the two glasses, redid the top and placed the bottle aside. She took one of the glasses from Crypto and raised it.

"Nasdrovje, Crypto. And to the Soviet Union."

"Whatever you say, goldie." Crypto grinned as their glasses tinged.

Pox watched in mild disgust as both then downed the vodka in a heartbeat.  
Crypto shuddered for a moment, feeling the strong spirit going down his throat.

"Gaah, nice one, dollface. Nothin' like the real Russian thing."

"Da, Crypto. Care for another?"

"You know it, sugar…"

Both glasses were then filled to the brim again, and emptied quicker than they had filled.  
Pox couldn't help feeling angry. If they kept this up, it wouldn't take long before it became impossible to reason with them about a plan of attack.  
Pox decided to ignore them, and proceeded to look out the car window, dully watching the falling snow.

A while passed, and it didn't take long for the alchohol to go to Crypto's big head.

"I'll tell you this, cupcake…" he started. "Once we get back on the Mothership I'm gonna probe all of those monkeys there so hard their entire spine will come out along with their brains… I can take all of 'em with one phylangeopod tied behind my back, you'll see. Just gimme a Disintegrator Ray and a couple-a Ion Detonators and I'll cook you up one hell of a party, heh."

"That's all very nice, Crypto. But we _don't __**have**_ any _**weapons**__._" Pox hissed.

"Don't worry, spaceman." Natalya told Pox. "We'll find our ways. Now Crypto, I've heard a lot of stories about you…Is it true you once blew up an entire airfield all by yourself…?"

"You bet, cupcake." Crypto grinned. "With one of their own nukes, no less."

"I see. Very impressive."

"I helped…" Pox mumbled.

"And did you really defeat a 50-foot robot controlled by the American president's brain…?"

"Yeah, I did. You shoulda seen it, goldie. I snapped that one monument, ya know, the giant phallic thingie, with my psychokinesis and ran it right through that thing."

"You did not…!" Pox objected. "You blasted him in your saucer and cowardly begged me several times to hurry and remotely fix the Scout Ship before he made you crash and burn…!"

But neither of Pox's fellow car occupants seemed to bother listening to his rant.  
Natalya playfully ran an index finger along Crypto's chest, intoxicatedly smiling at him.

"Most impressive, spaceman." she cooed. "I'm glad I'm on your side, now…"

Crypto gave her a seductive smile in return, and slowly leaned in. To his delight, Natalya closed her eyes and allowed him to start a careful kiss on her lips.  
Pox again averted his gaze in disgust.

Here he was, sitting in a puny human vehicle, stuck in a heap of snow in the middle of nowhere, with two intoxicated individuals making out right next to him while his precious Mothership was under siege.  
And on top of all that, a gnaw of jealousy twisted in his gut.

His brow twitched in anger as Pox listened to the quiet lovey-dovey noises coming from Natalya and Crypto, until, after a few minutes, they suddenly stopped.  
Pox looked back over to them, only to find out they had both fallen asleep.

A few hours later, Pox awoke to the sound of a starting engine.  
As he opened his eyes, he saw Natalya had gotten back on the driver's seat and got ready to resume their journey.  
Crypto was still asleep, currently leaning against Pox with one arm around him, and slightly drooling over him.

"Has the snow stopped…?" Pox asked hoarsely.

"Da, a little." Natalya replied. "And we're in luck. An army convoy just went by, their snowplough has cleared the road."

Natalya then steered the Volga back onto the road and got to driving.  
Pox looked out the window, noticing the evening was already setting in. There was still some snowfall, but thankfully the worst seemed to have passed.

Crypto made a few low growling noises in his sleep and slightly adjusted his hold on Pox.  
It was only then that Pox became aware of him.

"Get off me, you dolt!" he barked at the warrior clone as he shoved him off him, instantly waking him up.

"What, what…?" Crypto sleepily let out. "Hey, we're movin'… Why're we movin'…?"

"Hopefully we'll be at my dacha in about 45 minutes." Natalya said. "We should reach it before dark."

"And you're positive no one will find us there…?" Pox asked.

"Da, positive. It's in a remote clearing in the woods. Only one rough path leads to it."

"I hope you got somethin' to eat there… I'm starvin'." Crypto yawned.

"I do, but not much. Don't expect French toast." Natalya told him.

"How 'bout a French kiss, then…?" Crypto seductively asked as he sat up, grabbing the backrest of the front seat to get at Natalya's eyelevel.

Natalya's countenance clearly changed.

"That kiss was a mistake, Crypto." she then said. "I was drunk, you were drunk. It meant nothing."

That kind of caught Crypto off guard. Not even a witty rebut came, all he did was pout.  
Pox had to suppress a triumphant grin that tried to break through.


	9. Dacha

Eventually, finally, after spending about fifteen more minutes on the rural road and nearly half an hour on a bumpy woodland path, Natalya's dacha came into view amongst the trees.  
As the Volga stopped near it, Pox and Crypto could see it was a small single-storey wooden cabin, partially snowed in. It looked cute and cosy enough, from the outside.

Natalya seemed happy to see it again as she got out of the car, and looked the cabin over for a second before opening the car door for Pox and Crypto to get out.  
Crypto hopped into the snow, his boots disappearing into it completely.  
Natalya then reached for Pox and picked him up off the back seat, and kicked the car door closed.  
The trio then headed over to the cabin, which only had a single door that didn't even seem to have a lock, as Natalya simply turned the handle and stepped inside.

"Welcome to my dacha, comrades." she said as Crypto walked in behind her and closed the door.

The inside of the cabin was small and simple; at the far end in the centre of the wall stood a fireplace, with a rug lying on the floor in front of it. To the left stood a wooden bed and a desk with a chair, to the right a small stove with a small sofa near it. There was also a small bookcase present, plus a cupboard and a few cabinets.

"Well, it's better than your place back in Ir-whatever, but I still can't imagine why anyone would live here…" Crypto remarked as he looked around.

"I don't usually come here during winter months." Natalya replied as she sat Pox on the rug in front of the fireplace. "It's kind of a summer retreat. Plus, I once learned a painful lesson when I disturbed a bear that was hibernating here."

"Bear?" Pox squeaked.

"I'll get some logs from the wood shack outside and light the fire." Natalya told them. "You boys make yourselves at home, da…?"

Natalya then headed for the door, grabbed a small axe that stood beside it and headed out.  
Pox and Crypto stared after her for a moment.

"So, uh…" Crypto then started. "D'ya figure out what those ships Nat mentioned might be yet…?"

"Not for certain…" Pox replied. "But something about them just feels very very wrong…"

"Ya think maybe the Soviet Union hooked up with some other race of extraterrestrials…?"

"It certainly seems that way, but still, it doesn't make sense… Why would they come after us, personally, and not the US as a whole…? How do they even know about us…?"

"Think you'll recognise those ships once you see 'em…?"

"Perhaps. If I've seen them before, I definately will."

Natalya then stepped back inside, carrying a bunch of kindling wood and a stack of small logs. She placed the axe away again and headed over to the fireplace. And proceeded to light it.  
It didn't take long before the wood was quietly snapping as it burned and gently warmed up the inside of the cabin.

"Now, let's take a look at your leg, tovarisch." Natalya said as she patted her hands clean and kneeled next to Pox on the rug. "Crypto, could you head over to that drawer right there and hand me the first aid box inside it…?"

Crypto did as she asked, retrieving the small box for her and sitting down in front of the fireplace himself.

"You really don't need to, I can take care of-…" Pox started, but Natalya was already rolling up the rim of Pox's pajama trouser and exposed his thin right leg.

She then peeled off the bandage, revealing the gunshot wound.

"Blaya muha…" she then gasped. "Crypto, do you see that…?"

"What, what…?!" Pox asked in confusion, not being able to see what was wrong.

"Hot damn, dollface." Crypto responded, looking over. "How'dya think that happened…?"

"What is it…?!" Pox asked again, and sat up straight, to take a look at his leg.

He then saw the wound had healed greatly since the last time he saw it. It had entirely stopped bleeding, and quite a bit of skin had already regenerated. The wound looked like it had been given weeks of care.

"You've been eatin' your wheaties, haven't ya, Poxy…?"

"H-how is this possible…?" Pox let out as he stared at his injury.

"I told you you did something, spaceman…" Natalya told Crypto. "Back in the Volga you held your comrade and your hands glowed. That must have something to do with it."

"But that's impossible." Crypto replied. "I ain't a Healer. Am I…?"

He then looked at Pox, who seemed as confused as the warrior clone was himself.  
A strange silence then hung in the cabin for a moment.

"Well, anyway." Natalya finally began. "I'll wrap it up again to protect it. We should thank Lenin it is healing so well."


	10. Crypto, The Green Eyed Bastard

Natalya had retrieved some food from the Volga's trunk, and then decided to get some rest so she'd be fit and sharp went they'd strategize tomorrow.  
Pox wasn't hungry for the slightest bit, yet Crypto thankfully munched down on a few simple peanut butter sandwiches.

The night passed quietly, and early in the next morning, Natalya woke up again.  
After a bit of snow had been molten and heated to make some coffee, the three of them got to discussing a plan of action.  
With rather unsatisfying results. Natalya did not know for sure where the strange ships were currently being held or how many there were, and Pox still did not remember exactly why he found Natalya's descriptions of them so familiar sounding.  
Plus, they had no access to any Furon technology. No weapons, no Scout Ship, and they were undoubtedly heavily outnumbered.  
The longer they talked, the quieter Pox became.

It was clear to him it was pointless. They didn't stand a chance. They hardly even knew what they were up against, and they couldn't even think of what to do first. They could go through hordes of trouble to steal one of those ships, but even **if** they managed to do so, there was still a big chance the Mothership had already been destroyed, and it would all be for naught.  
They should just face it. Their cause was lost. They'd been beaten. Pox almost hoped a squad of KGB agents would burst through the cabin door soon and just shoot the three of them.

"Let's take a break for a while, huh…?" Crypto said eventually as he stretched his arms while sitting on the rug in front of the fire. "I gotta take a crap, anyways. Where's the can?"

" 'Can'…?" Natalya repeated.

"Yeah, ya know, the throne, the loo, the crapper, the toilet...?"

"There is no toilet. We go outside."

Crypto stared at her for a second.

"You've **got** to be kiddin' me."

"Afraid not, spaceman." Natalya replied. "Don't worry, no one will see you."

"But it's like, ten freakin' Fahrenheit out there…!"

"Da. And watch out for bears."

Crypto remained seated for a while longer and stared at Natalya in disbelief. When it was clear she really wasn't joking he got up mumbling curses and headed for the door, out into the freezing cold.  
Natalya watched him leave, and then directed her gaze to Pox, whom was blankly staring into the dancing flames of the fireplace.  
It was clear he felt desolate. Desolate and useless. Even if the three of them did attempt any sort of attack, Pox would be nothing but dead weight. He constantly needed someone to drag him around, and he was sick of it.

"Don't despair, comrade." Natalya told him. "We will find a way to take back your Mothership."

"Don't bother, Natalya…" Pox replied without removing his gaze from the flames. "Crypto's out now. You'd best just get your gun and shoot me."

Natalya then reached for Pox's left cheek and turned his face to make him look at her. She could then faintly see tears in the corners of his eyes.  
She kept the palm of her hand to his face and looked him straight in the eyes.

"You speak nonsense, spaceman. I know you feel you've let down your leaders, and I know how that feels. But you can reclaim your honor by reclaiming your spaceship."

"You don't understand, Natalya…" Pox responded. "It doesn't matter… The damage is done. Your country's culture is not mine… I've lost my Mothership to an inferior race and there's no excuse for that where I come from…"

"Then forget your leaders and do it for yourself."

"But who am I now that I've lost everything…?"

"You have not lost everything, Orthopox." Natalya said, lightly stroking Pox's cheeks. "You have Crypto. And you have me…"

Pox stared into Natalya's deep blue eyes for what seemed like forever, his worries almost seeming to fade for a moment.  
Natalya gave him a gentle smile and seemed to blink at him in slow-motion, making Pox wish she would just lean in and kiss him.

"_**Am I interrupting somethin'…?**__"_ Crypto's angry voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

Pox jolted out of his mesmerized state and Natalya casually let go of him.

"Nyet, spaceman, not at all." she told Crypto. "Did everything work out…?"

"Yeah, fine." Crypto growled in response, and sat back down next to Pox, intentionally elbowing him.

"Good. Now that you're back, I'll go out and rather some more firewood. I'm confident no one will unexpectedly turn up, but if so, I trust you'll handle them with your brain powers."

"Got it, goldie."

"I'll be back in about half an hour." Natalya said as she put on her coat. "Don't go looking for me if it takes a little longer. I promise I'll be back."

She then placed her gun in its holster, grabbed the small axe again and headed out the door, closing it behind her.

"_**What the hell**_ do you think you're doin'…?" Crypto immediately began to Pox in a threatening tone.

"What do you mean…?"

"What I mean…?! You know perfectly freakin' well what I mean, Pox…! You're tryin' to steal Nat from me…!"

"I am not! And she's not even yours to begin with…!"

"_**I**_ made out with her. She digs _**me**_. She's _**mine**_!"

"You were both drunk, Crypto."

"Yeah, so?!"

"I told you before, we can't allow ourselves to become involved with her, it'll-"

"AHA! 'We', huh? So you admit it!"

"I do not…!"

"What were you tryin' to do right there, huh, huh? You were trying to get her to kiss you, weren't you?! While you know I dig her!"

"She was comforting me…! I was only-"

"Don't you dare try and pin it on her, Pox! I know it was you messin' with her, I could tell!"

"Your jealousy is insufferable, Crypto…! You're just angry because that kiss you gave her meant nothing…!"

Crypto then furiously lunged for Pox, knocking him back and pinning him to the floor to his shoulders. The warrior clone threateningly bared his sharp teeth at him as he sat on top of him, angrily panting as he stared right into Pox's terrified eyes.

Then, the cabin door suddenly opened and Natalya came stepping back inside.

"I forgot my-…"

But she fell silent as her eyes came upon the two Furons.  
Crypto stared back with a slightly bewildered look, quickly letting go of Pox's shoulders.

"_What is wrong with you, spaceman_?!" Natalya suddenly barked at him.

She then marched over and grabbed Crypto by his upper left arm, dragging him off Pox and onto his feet.

"You come with me and help me gather firewood." she angrily told him. "We need to have a hearty talk, you and I, Crypto!"

"B-but I-…"

But Natalya shoved him out the door in front of her and slammed it shut behind her.  
Pox was left by himself in the cabin, and strained himself to sit up.  
He could hear the steps of two pairs of feet slowly dying away as a loud Natalya called Crypto all sorts of things in Russian.

Pox stared at the door until he could no longer hear them. He was then left with only his thoughts.  
Brains, what had gotten into him…? He was a Furon Commander, he couldn't allow himself to fall for a measly human…!  
But Natalya had shown such sympathy… She showed remarkable intelligence for a human, and brains, she was just drop dead gorgeous…

Pox shook his head. He should focus his thoughts on the Mothership, not that Russian female.

He then proceeded to haul himself over to the wooden bed, which stood at a window, and climbed onto it. He was lucky it was fairly low to the ground, otherwise he'd never been able to do so.  
He'd expected a mattress, but all the bed was composed of was a large sack filled with straw, a pillow and a number of thick covers. Pox couldn't help frowning. Why would any human choose to sleep like a donkey…?  
He then sat on the bed and leaned lazily on the windowsill, looking out at the white forest outside.

He could see the parked Volga, the snow covered dirt road, and trees. Endless rows of trees.  
Pox stared at them blankly as his mind drifted over to his beloved Mothership.

What would be happening up there right now…? Was she still proudly standing or had she been destroyed…? What about his labs, and the years worth of research contained within…? Had the humans managed to gain access to any weaponry, and would they try to reverse engineer it…?  
Pox sighed to himself as his worries babbled on, and the minutes slowly went by.

As he slowly blinked at his vague reflection in the frosty glass of the window, he allowed himself to nodd on and off into sleep.  
But suddenly, movement somewhere outside was caught by the corner of his eye.  
Pox snapped to attention, and focussed his vision, peering outside.

His eyes widened as a human appeared from amongst the trees.  
It was definately not Natalya. It was a rugged looking male, tall and strong looking, with dark hair and a trimmed beard.  
And he was heading straight for the cabin.

Pox shirked together, ducking out of sight. Fear already overcame him, and his mind raced. In a panic, he scrambled off the bed and clumbsily hit the floor on his chest with an odd oof.  
He then scurried underneath the bed, and managed to hide himself just as the cabin door opened.


	11. Aah, The Plot Thickens

Two heavy boots came plodding in, and the door was closed again.  
The boots halted for a moment or two, and Pox's terrified gaze followed them along the floor as they then headed further into the cabin as their owner appeared to inspect it.  
Pox's heart was racing, and he held his breath, inwardly praying to Arkvoodle the human would not find him.

The human then crossed the cabin and headed over to the desk, his boots walking out of Pox's line of sight.  
Drawers were opened, papers were shuffled around…

"I know you're there, little chuzoy." a male voice with a heavy Russian accent then sounded.

The bearded face then appeared right in front of Pox, peering underneath the bed.

In a haze of panic, Pox unleashed his mental abilities upon the human and hurled him away, making him crash against the sofa on the other side of the cabin.

"_**Chort!**_" the human exclaimed, and was quick to get up, hardly fazed.

He then ran over to the bed and reached underneath it, soon dragging Pox out from under it by one of his legs. Pox tried to grab hold of something but no no avail, he was hauled out like a cat with a veterinarian appointment.

"_Please, don't hurt meee…!_" Pox squeaked, throwing his arms before his face as he sat on his butt on the floor, at the mercy of the intruder.

Just as the human drew his gun, the cabin door was opened again.

"Sergei, no!" Natalya exclaimed as she entered, and dropped the wood she was holding.

"Natalya…!" the now identified human let out.

He was quick to lower his gun as Natalya went over to him.

"What are you doing here…?!" Natalya asked angrily. "I told you not to follow me!"

"Your words were clear, lapushka. But I could not let you save our motherland by yourself."

Meanwhile, Crypto followed in with a large stack of logs in his arms, hardly able to see were he was going. It didn't take long before one of his feet met one of the pieces of wood Natalya had dropped and before he knew it, his face got intimately familiar with the cabin floor and the logs he was carrying crashed into the cabin with a lot of noise.

"…I'm okay…"

Ignoring the warrior clone, Natalya frowned at Sergei.

"You give us little choice, now." she huffed. "I must admit I have met a dead end. I hope you have information that might aid us…"

"Indeed I do, Natalya." Sergei said. "I have been-…"

"Hey…!" Crypto interrupted him, having gotten back up and dusting himself off. "You're that bastard from the gas station!"

"Excuse me, comrade…?"

"Crypto, Orthopox," Natalya quickly began. "This is Sergei. He is a fellow agent."

"Yeah…?" Crypto huffed, looking over the ring-bearded, sideburned human male with a skeptic frown. "He doesn't look like much."

"Oh, shush, spaceman. Please continue, comrade." Natalya then turned back to Sergei. "What can you tell us…?"

"As you know, krolishka, our motherland has recently been using bizarre spaceships." Sergei spoke, crossing his arms. "While you were stationed in Cholodniy base, and for the past few days, I have been gathering some intelligence concerning the planned attack on the enemy spaceship in orbit of Earth. The attack was a partial success, evident by your current company."

Natalya, Pox and Crypto listened on as Sergei continued;

"The only reason Red Army has not yet destroyed the Furon spaceship is the fact that they hope they can expropriate valuable technology from it. However, they have not yet obtained much. Just a few data carriers they are working hard to crack and a large collection of alchoholic beverages that fetched agent Yakovich a handsome price on the black market."

"**Dammit!**" Crypto let out.

"Why have they not taken more…?" Natalya asked.

"They have tried." Sergei replied. "But the most valuable prize, a saucer ship, has proven impossible to commandeer. They cannot find a way to get in. Plus, the weaponry of which it is known it exists seems to be well hidden or protected."

"Damn right it is!" Pox angrily shouted at Sergei. "I demand you take me to my Mothership immediately!"

"I would if I could, comrade. But unfortunately, my truck can only move in two dimensions."

"Do you know where the strange ships are kept?" Natalya asked Sergei.

"Da. There are around ten, spread all over Soviet Union." Sergei told her. "I am knowing of a few locations, and we are fortunate two are situated in a hangar not far from here."

"Can you take us there?"

"I believe I can. However, word of your dissent has spread amongst our colleagues. Guards will be watching for you and your little comrades. Yet they do not yet suspect me, and we can be using that to our advantage."

"Then let's get movin', huh…?" Crypto growled, already riled up. "I'm itchin' for some serious payback…"

"Not so fast, Crypto." Natalya told him. "We need to be well prepared. I am hoping you brought along some tools of aid, Sergei."

"I would not be KGB if I had not." Sergei replied. "I am thinking we will find all we'll need in my truck. I do not mean to spoil your quality time with your alien comrades, Natalya, but I believe we should be on our way as soon as possible. Time is not on our side."

"I understand. Then we leave. Grab your comrade, spaceman."

Crypto did as Natalya said, preparing to pick Pox up.

"We can't just up and leave…!" Pox objected as the warrior clone lifted him off the wooden cabin floor. "We need to come up with a plan of attack, first…!"

"I have already devised a strategy of sorts." Sergei told him as he walked towards the door. "I know the hangar well. We can discuss it during the trip there."

He then courtly opened the door for Natalya, and she walked out the cabin, followed by Crypto carrying his cranky mentor.  
After he closed the door again, Sergei perceded the trio to his truck, which stood hidden amongst some trees nearby.

"Let's see what you've brought…" Natalya said as she pushed aside the canvas of the truck's back and peered inside.

Crypto walked up next to her and stood on his toes, both he and Pox inquisitively taking a peek over the rim of the truck's cargo compartment too.  
Sergei indeed hadn't skimped on weaponry, as the truck seemed to be crammed with an arsenal large enough to equip the army of a small European country.  
Pistols, AK-47's, even a rocket launcher. This could turn out to be fun after all.

"Good work, comrade." Natalya thanked Sergei as she placed the canvas back. "Our odds are seeming much more favorable, now."

"They had better." Sergei said. "I bribed five agents for this. Now please, take a seat and we'll be on our way."

All then got in the front of the truck, Sergei sitting down on the driver's seat, Natalya next to him on the passenger seat, and Pox and Crypto behind them on the back seat.  
Sergei let the truck's engine roar to life, and drove it back onto the forest path, leaving the dacha.


	12. Two Pints Of Lager And- Wait, What?

They were soon back on the rural road, beginning the journey to the hangar, which would take about an hour.  
Sergei had explained his plans, and there was little other choice for his passengers than to agree with them, as Sergei knew what to expect at the base, and knew most of the conditions they'd encounter, such as which areas were well guarded and where the ships stood.  
What he did not know, was how to operate the ships. They could only hope Pox might know which race they belonged to and thus figure out the controls.  
The trip over the frozen road went on, and after a plan had been agreed on, a silence ensued for a while.

Until Sergei asked;

"Why didn't you tell me of your plans, Natalya? We were both worried about our motherland, yet you chose to embark on this impossible mission by yourself."

"Because I do not exclude the possibility that this is a suicide mission." Natalya replied. "And I did not want to get you involved and risk your life, too."

"If I must sacrifice myself for the Soviet Union, so be it." Sergei told her. "I will laugh in the face of death, as long as I am with you."

Sergei then gently placed his right hand on one of Natalya's resting in her lap.  
Pox witnessed Crypto's hands tightening into fists.

"Look, Ivan." the warrior clone growled. "Don't get cocky now that you're helpin' us 'n' stuff. We would've managed on our own, ya know. You're just convenient, it's not like we _**need**_ you."

"Is that so, little comrade…?" Sergei replied. "I beg to differ. But of course, the three of you could never have known the KGB knew of your whereabouts, and that a team of six agents was well underway to the dacha. Had I arrived two hours later, you would all have been dead right now."

This shut Crypto up, and he crossed his arms, merely muttering something along the lines of 'smug bastard'.

"We are nearing the outskirts of the base." Sergei then said. "The three of you should hide in the back of the truck. They will be inspecting my cargo, so hide well underneath the covers I have placed there. We have the cloak of darkness in our advantage, so if you stay quiet we might make it in."

"What if they find us…?" Pox asked.

"Then I suggest you grab the nearest gun and use it."

"They won't find us, comrade." Natalya assured Pox. "Let's go."

Crypto then helped Pox climb over the back seat and through the canvas, to the cargo section of the truck, and then climbed in himself, followed by Natalya.  
They sat down in the dark, bouncy part of the truck, and Natalya felt around for the covers, throwing them over the three of them as soon as she came upon them.

"Tuck them in around you." she told the two Furons. "Make sure it covers all of you."

"Got it, cupcake." came Crypto's voice from the dark, accompanied by shuffling sounds as the three of them huddled carefully underneath the dark textiles.

"Make sure you sit closely together." Sergei spoke up from the front of the truck. "If they spot the blankets I'll think of something to say to put them off."

"Understood, Sergei." Natalya replied. "You come here, Orthopox."

Pox then felt an arm around him and he was subsequently pulled towards the blonde, and held against her side as she sat on the truck floor.

"Are you ready yet…?" Sergei asked.

"Almost, comrade…! Get your hand off my butt, spaceman!" Natalya then barked at Crypto.

"Sorry." Crypto said from the dark, hardly hiding his amusement.

The warrior clone then got properly seated next to Natalya, and once she was sure they had made it the best they could, she said;

"We're ready, tovarisch. Lenin save us."

"Indeed." Sergei replied. "We are now entering the base. We will be halted in a minute. Do not make _any_ noise, starting now."

The trio then sat tensely together as the truck slowly drove into the base, and sure enough, soon heard a guard shout 'Stop!' outside.  
The truck rolled to a halt, and a guard stepped up to the driver's window.

"Your purpose here, please, tovarisch." the guard asked Sergei.

"A shipment of weapons." Sergei replied. "I was ordered to supply guns to the guards because of the escaped chuzhoys."

"Charasho. Be taking look, comrades."

Two other soldier guards then opened the canvas at the far end of the truck, and sure enough, saw an impressive collection of firearms.  
Sergei had gotten out of the truck and looked along with them.

"What is being that?" one of the guards asked, pointing at the strange, lumpy heap of covers in the back.

"A barrel of venison and two sacks of potatoes." Sergei replied. "The base was running low on supplies, nyet…?"

"Da, indeed, comrade." the head guard nodded. "Thanking you. Be moving on, pazhalsta."

Sergei then got back in the truck and slowly drove off, keeping an eye on the guards in his rear view mirror until they no longer looked at the truck.

"_**Two sacks of-…?!**_ Ow!" Crypto let out as Natalya elbowed him to shut him up.

"We are nearing the hangar." Sergei told them. "I will park the truck as planned and then try to divert the guards. You should stay where you are until I give a signal."

"Understood, comrade." Natalya replied.

Sergei then got out of the truck again, and walked around it. After making sure no one was looking, he took two small grenades from the back and hid them in his coat. He then stepped towards the nearest agent standing around in the hangar.

"Pryvyet, tovarisch." the agent greeted Sergei. "Are you being delivering weapons we sent off for?"

"Da." Sergei replied. "They are being ready to unload. However, comrade, I spotted a strange blue light coming from some bushes around the corner right before I entered the hangar. I believe we should investigate."

"Blue light?" the agent repeated. "Could be alienskies! Da, we should go seeing."

Sergei and the agent then walked outside, passing through the large hangar door. The KGB agent then drew his gun and cautiously went around the corner of the structure, peering around in the dark.  
Sergei then took one of the grenades and primed it, then flung it away over the agent's head, as far as he could.  
It was caught by a small bush and exploded, clearly startling the agent.

"There!" Sergei shouted. "I saw something running from there to the northeast!"

The other agents on the base soon came running over, having heard the explosion and hurrying over to investigate.  
They soon all chased after the non-existent alien intruder in the direction Sergei had pointed them, and amongst the chaos, he crept back into the hangar.  
He hurried over to the truck, and ripped aside the canvas.

"Hurry, comrades!" he told the trio still hiding there. "The guards are distracted, we must hurry to the ships!"

Natalya and Crypto quickly got up, while Sergei took as many guns and ammo from the truck as he could carry, Natalya soon doing the same.  
Crypto picked his mentor up again, and hopped out of the truck.

"You run over to the other side of the hangar with your friend, little comrade." Sergei told Crypto. "Natalya and I will cover you."

Crypto did as he was told, Pox nervously holding on to him as the warrior clone engaged in a sprint along the hangar floor, flanked by the two humans.  
Most of the guards were gone, but as the dark ships came into view, two agents were still standing there.

"Stalin's yeld-AAGH!" one of the agents began as he spotted Crypto and Pox, but was cut off by a headshot from Natalya.

Sergei was quick to deal with the second guard, and the four of them hurried over to one of the ships. They were in luck; its door was open.  
Pox could only stare at the ship in horror, his eyes wide while his mind tried to make sense of what they showed him.

"So hurry, Pox!" Crypto panted. "What are they?"

"I-… I-…" Pox stammered, his mighty brain apparently experiencing some kind of glitch.

"Hurry, tovarisch." Natalya said as she nervously looked around. "Are you familiar with them? Can you fly them?"

"I think I can…!" Pox finally replied. "But-… This is a Blisk ship…!"

"We have no time for narrating plot points." Sergei told them, already entering the ship. "Get inside and we take off!"

Natalya, Crypto and Pox then also entered the ship, and soon, Pox was unceremoniously planted on the oversized pilot's seat by Crypto.

"Alright, Poxy, fly us home!"

Pox carefully touched the controls, and after the ship's engine made a few bursting roars, the vessel shifted into motion and bolted out the hangar.  
The agents outside immediately spotted it as it zoomed up into the sky and responded by aborting their futile pursuit and running back into the hangar.


	13. Battle For The Mothership

The Blisk ship had soon reached the outer layers of Earth's atmosphere, and Pox set course for where he expected his precious Mothership to be.  
The trio behind him tensely watched the Furon Commander as Pox concentrated on his task, yet all were startled as a large crashing noise rattled the ship.

"They're behind us…!" Crypto exclaimed as he peered out one of the side windows of the craft.

Sure enough, the second ship from the Russian base had appeared hot on their tail, and was now pelting them with its onboard Blisk missiles.  
Another one scored a direct hit, and various lights began to blip on Pox's control panel, with matching warning beeps.

"Do something, comrade." Natalya told Pox. "They are trying to blow us up."

"I'm aware of that!" Pox exclaimed.

He feverishly jabbed various buttons, and the ship responded by deploying a nasty looking laser-type-thing from the front of the hull, right before and below the large windscreen of the vessel.  
Pox then manoeuvered the ship around, enticing a chase with the second Blisk battleship.

Both ships zoomed through space like dragonflies in a fight, and whenever he got a clean shot Pox blasted their opponent with the brutal green laser, until, eventually, it exploded.

"BOO-YAAH! _**OWNED!**_" Pox whooped in victory.

"Nice flyin', Poxy." Crypto agreed with a grin.

The Blisk ship then zoomed off again, back on its course towards the Mothership.  
It didn't take long before it came into view, rapidly growing from a tiny spec to its massive appearance as they neared it fast.  
Pox's eyes widened as he rapidly scanned its surface with his view, greatly concerned about his beloved Mothership's wellbeing.  
From the outside, one could not suspect it was currently occupied by the enemy.

Cautiously, the Blisk ship headed for the hangar airlock doors, and halted right before them.  
They were soon opened, and Pox flew the vessel inside, neatly landing it in the oh so familiar hangar.

The four occupants then all looked out though the front window of the ship, judging the situation of the hangar.  
There weren't that many humans by the looks of it, and for Sergei and Natalya, one human in particular definately caught their attention.  
It was a balding male, white-haired, dressed in a military coat and currently expectantly looking at the ship.

"Blaya muha…" Natalya whispered. "Premier Milenkov…?"

"So _**he's**_ behind all this…!" Pox angrily hissed. "Take me outside so I can kill him! He has desecrated my Mothership by soiling it with his monkey self! She was my baby, till he stepped in!"

"Not so fast, comrade." Sergei told him. "They do not yet know who we are. Natalya and I will go outside and pretend we're on their side. After we find out what is going on, we attack. You, however, comrade, will stay inside the ship at all times. If you try and fight them, you will literally be a sitting duck."

"But, I-…! Aargh! **Arkvoodledammit, **_**fine!**_" Pox gave in, in angry frustration.

"What about me?" Crypto asked.

"You stay here as well, Crypto." Natalya told him. "When we initiate the attack, you join us."

"Got it."

Natalya and Sergei then exited the ship, and headed for Milenkov, acting like they were normal KGB. Pox and Crypto nervously watched them from inside the ship.

"Greetings, premier comrade Milenkov." Sergei greeted him as they stood before him. "We were needed here…?"

"I was indeed in need of some extra hands." Milenkov replied. "But recent developments demand I am making my exit, so I'm afraid I can't stay and chat."

Natalya and Sergei exchanged a brief glance.  
In the meantime, at least a dozen more armed agents were appearing from behind pieces of equipment and such, all over the hangar.

"I am a little offended you took me for such a fool." Milenkov continued. "But, no matter. Your little adventure stops here. Now that you're about to die, I might as well let you in on a little secret."

Natalya and Sergei nervously stood with their backs to eachother as the KGB surrounded them and kept their aim on them, as Milenkov continued;

"You are probably wondering why this Furon ship has not yet been destroyed. Well, I happen to have a little warship of my own, yet, sadly, it has been incapacitated for quite some time now, and this Furon ship holds just the things I need to get it flying again. When my agents have dealt with you, I will be back to retrieve my engine parts and equipment, and then I'll blow this mothership back to kingdom come."

Milenkov then trotted over to another, smaller Blisk ship standing in the hangar, and opened its door.

"It's really a shame you won't be there to see it!" he told them as he stepped inside. "Well, goodbye, lapushka-moya! Dasvidanya, Sergei, ty svoloch!"

The ship's door then closed, and it zoomed off, through the airlock doors.

"Our luck appears to have run out." Sergei told Natalya as the agents that surrounded them got ready to shoot. "I adhere to my words, I am prepared to die for our motherland. I will search for you in the afterlife, lyubimaya-moya."

"You talk borscht, Sergei." Natalya told him, readying her gun. "We will both make it through this."

"Be shooting!" one of the agents then yelled, and fire was opened on the two.

Immediately, Crypto came bursting out the Blisk ship with blazing gun, managing to fire impressively accurate with the human-made AK-47 he was not accustomed to in the slightest.  
He, along with Sergei and Natalya, managed to mostly avoid getting hit while eliminating a good deal of the humans.

Both parties had now taken cover, cautiously firing at eachother from behind ships and equipment.  
Until another Blisk ship could be seen nearing through one of the Mothership windows.

"I am thinking more company is on the way, comrades!" Sergei told Natalya and Crypto. "I will try and stop them from entering…! Watch my back!"

"Sergei, no!" Natalya objected. "Let them in and we'll take them out when they exit their ship!"

"Nyet, Natalyushka." Sergei replied. "There might be something worse than humans in there. We must not give them any chance."

And before Natalya could say any more, Sergei hoisted his rocket launcher on his shoulder and ran for the airlock doors.  
Natalya and Crypto responded with deadly force to any agent that tried to shoot him, until Sergei stood in between the two heavy, thick-steeled doors, and the inner one closed behind him.  
To Pox and Crypto, it was clear Sergei was a goner.

The Blisk ship outside neared, and Sergei readied himself, waiting for it to get closer to the outside door.  
When it was moments from entering, Sergei fired the rocket. As it made contact the rocket blew a massive hole in the airlock door, destroying the Blisk ship and sucking Sergei out into space.

"_**Sergei!**_" Natalya cried out, seeing her comrade disappear into the void. "_**You bastards!**_" she then furiously exclaimed, and got up, running towards the KGB while shooting madly.

"Nat, stop! What the hell're you doin'?!" Crypto yelled after her.

But it was too late. She managed to kill several humans in her blind rage, but soon, Natalya was fatally hit in her chest. She seemed to slump to the floor in slow-motion, her gun sliding out of her hands as she came to lie on the cold metal floor.

"_**Natalya…!**_" Crypto exclaimed dramatically.

The humans were now clearly gaining the upper hand, and Crypto had to resist the urge of also going on a suicide rampage. There was more at stake than just Natalya…

"Waitski!" Crypto then heard one of the agents yell. "There are supposed to be being two! Be finding antelope alienski!"

Crypto's eyes then widened in panic as he saw three agents run towards and into the Blisk ship Pox was in.  
Immediately, gunfire came from inside and one of the humans was hurled back out the door, his head exploding in mid-air before his headless body hit the floor with a sickening flop.

Ignoring his own safety, Crypto ran across the hangar, over to the ship and hurried inside.  
What he found were two human corpses, having been PK'd to death, and Pox, lying in a small pool of his own blood.

"_Pox!"_ Crypto let out, and hurried over to him, kneeling next to him.

Pox was tightly clutching his chest, blood running over his fingers as he struggled to breathe.

"I won't make it, Crypto." he rasped to the warrior clone. "You're on your own… You must save the Mothership, Crypto…! You _must_…!"

"I will, Poxy…!" Crypto told him. "I'll kill all-o those bastards, get you back and then we'll blow that entire Ruski hellhole to the other end of the galaxy…!"

"You'd better!" Pox barked. "I'm going to be stuck with another clone without genitalia thanks to those-…"

But Pox was interrupted by breaking out in a nasty cough, and eventually succumbed, falling limp in Crypto's arms before being able to finish his insults to the humans.  
Crypto let go of him, gently lying down his now deceased mentor and getting back up.

He then angrily turned to the ship's door.  
The humans that were left outside had undoubtedly gathered to ambush him, so he had to think of some way to trick them.

The high-strung agents were indeed standing right outside, their guns ready to fire and their eyes keen to any movement.  
So when something finally came out of the ship, they responded by spraying it with lead.  
It wasn't until they had emptied their clips on it, that they saw it was the corpse of one of their comrades.

Crypto seized the moment and bursted outside, discharging the freshly reloaded AK-47 on the humans with a primal roar of pure Furon madness.

When the gunfire stopped and Crypto's panting was all that could be heard in the hangar, the warrior clone stopped and looked around as he caught his breath.  
Naught but dead humans surrounded him. Even after cautiously checking behind every machine, every ship and in every dark corner, it seemed Crypto had indeed destroyed all humans.


	14. Orthopox-14

After it was absolutely positive there were no more stowaway humans anywhere on the Mothership, Crypto had gone down to the labs, to the cloning wing.  
It was time to reclone Pox so they could get their revenge on Milenkov…

After the warrior clone had programmed the cloning machine and started it up, the device whirred into action, drawing a dormant Orthopox from the maturation vats and preparing him for life. It didn't take very long before a glorious, young new Orthopox came stepping out the cylinder, squinting at the lab lights.  
He was wearing a white bathrobe which was clearly too big for him, and looked a little unaccustomed to walking again.

"Welcome back, Poxy." Crypto grinned as he stepped towards his newly cloned mentor. "Wow, I'd almost forgotten how short you really are, heh. So, what's it feel like to stand on those two girly feet of yours again?"

"Shut up, Crypto!" Pox chose as his first words. "We're still in dire straits, this is no time to aggravate me. Did you kill _all_ of the humans on our precious Mothership?"

"Yeez." Crypto mumbled. "Yeah, I checked everywhere, they're all gone."

"And no more Blisk ships have appeared?"

"I ain't seen 'em."

"Excellent." Pox let out in relief. "And… sorry." he then mumbled to the warrior clone. "I'm in no mood to admit it, but I am rather proud of you."

"Heh, yeah." Crypto grinned. "You're just sore 'cause you got killed by a human and _still_ haven't got a howitzer like me."

"Don't remind me." Pox glowered. "Let's head over to the main lab…"

Both Furons then got to work on a plan of attack.  
The Blisk ship that was left in the Mothership's hangar proved to be of great value. Not only did its onboard computer betray the location of the warship Milenkov had mentioned, it also provided priceless information about Blisk engineering and its weaknesses.  
With that, Pox was able to produce an unprecedented weapon. A massive Quantum Deconstructor-derived bomb-like bad boy. He ironically called it the Conceited Crustacean Crushing Package.

After they had prepared themselves as best they could, Pox having hoisted himself in one of Crypto's old uniforms (which was a bit too big for him) and a Scout Ship had been armed with the CCCP-bomb, both Furons entered the ship, and headed for Siberia.  
It was normally entirely out of the question for Pox to join Crypto on a mission to Earth, but this time, it was personal.  
He wanted to personally make sure Milenkov payed for harming his love, Natal-… err, the Mothership.

Once the Scout Ship had reached Earth's lower atmosphere and scoured the Tunguskan tundra, it didn't take long before the dark, pointy crashed Blisk warship dawned on the horizon, towering over the pine trees.  
Pox and Crypto headed straight for it, cloaking the saucer and slowing down to a stationary hover once they could get a good view through the fog.

There were several humans, but also Blisk loitering around the site, carrying around captured Furon technology and using it to tinker with the warship. Apart from a few small Blisk ships standing around, the area was fairly clear.

"Alright." Pox began. "We deploy the CCCP on the warship's main thruster. The explosion should backfire into the craft and blow it to smithereens from the inside. If that succeeds, we land and destroy any potential survivors, and take back our technology."

"Sounds like a plan." Crypto agreed.

"We've only got one shot at this, so it **must** be a perfect hit."

Pox then waited for Crypto to get crackin', but the warrior clone just sat there.

"Well?!" Pox impatiently let out.

"Don't look at me!" Crypto replied. "**You **do it! If I do it and screw it up I'll be stuck with you yellin' at me **forever**, and, or, 'till I'm deaf."

"Fine."

Pox then sat down on the pilot's seat, and readied the Conceited Crustacean Crushing Package.  
He then manoeuvered the Scout Ship a little closer to the warship, and took a careful aim. The CCCP was released, and Pox backed up a little as it headed for the main thruster engine in a clean trajectory.  
Both Furons sat back as the CCCP made contact and detonated, the explosion rapidly expanding and instantly sparking panic on the surrounding grounds.

Apart from an impressive fireball, the blast set off various explosive reactions throughout the inside of the Blisk warship, making it groan and quake under the building pressure until one half of it was blown clean off, large chunks of heavy alien metal being flung into the Siberian tundra.

"Wow." Crypto let out with a grin. "That really gets one's juices flowin'."

"Now, let's get down there and strike again while they're disorganized!" Pox said, already preparing to land the ship.

Once the saucer was neatly landed, the two Furons were soon on the snowy ground, both armed with a bulked up Disintegrator Ray, loaded up to the brim with special anti-Blisk superheated slugs.  
They dispersed, each going around a side of the ruined warship and blasting anything that moved.

The Blisk still proved a challenge to kill, and they did not seem to be susceptible to psychokinesis, but Pox solved that by pelting them with boulders at full force instead.  
Crypto's PK to a Blisk warrior might equate to a squirrel throwing pebbles at a rhino, but Pox could decapitate the giant space lobsters with a rock without breaking a sweat.

Despite the chaos, they were doing well, having eliminated all humans, and with only a handful of Blisk left.  
Pox was backing up as two Blisk charged for him, taking cover behind one of the Blisk battleships as he blasted them repeatedly.  
He was too drawn into the fight to notice a figure emerging from the ship, and creeping up to him from behind.  
Crypto had seen it, however, and exclaimed,

"Pox! Look out!"

But it was too late.  
Just as Pox disintegrated the two Blisk in front of him, something grabbed him around his neck.

It was Milenkov, now pinning Pox to his coat with his forearm to the Furon's neck, threateningly pressing against it.  
Pox had lost his weapon, and pointlessly flailed his arms in resistance.

"Let him go, you commie bastard!" Crypto yelled, and ran over.

"Hold it there and drop your weapon, Furonski." Milenkov told him. "Or I will be snapping your comrade's neck like a twig."

He emphasized his words by tightening his hold on Pox, making him let out a helpless noise as the air was squeezed out of him.  
Crypto stopped dead in his tracks, unsure of what to do.

"Now drop it!" Milenkov barked.

But just as Crypto was about to lay down his weapon, Pox gathered all the strength he had and elbowed his attacker in the groin.

"_**GUUUHG!**_" Milenkov bellowed as he dropped Pox, doubling over in agony.

Pox scrambled to his gun, picked it up and ran over to Crypto.  
In the meantime, Milenkov's roar of pain had crossfaded into a roar of rage, and both Furons witnessed him transforming into his true Blisk form as he hollered in fury.  
Crypto and Pox cautiously backed up as they watched Milenkov grow at least three feet, bulking up on all sides, sporting giant claws and turning a sickly red.  
When the morph was complete, Milenkov took two earth-shaking stomps towards them and let out another ear piercing Blisk roar.

He looked pretty damn unbeatable.

"_You are having serious problem, now, Furons!_" he spoke in a distorted voice. "_Now I am angry! You will not like me now that I'm angry! You may have killed my comrades, you may have destroyed my warship, but I will never surrender! To prove my Bliski worth, I'll overthrow the Earth! I still have a few ships left, and after I destroy you, I will go back to Mars! I will be gathering power! I will be back to destroy! All! Fu-__**AAAGH!**_"

Milenkov was then crushed by a large section of the ruined Blisk warship that had broken off and hurtled down, crashing on top of him, reducing him to a smear on the tundra floor like a bug on the sports page.

Pox and Crypto stared at the now mostly liquid Milenkov for a minute or two, trying to comprehend how he got killed so conveniently.

They then looked at eachother.

And high-fived.  
Or uh, high-foured.


	15. All's Well

Pox and Crypto had returned to the Mothership, victorious. They had reclaimed the Furon equipment that had been nicked, and obliterated the last few Blisk ships.  
However, what awaited them was a Mothership that was still a mess.  
They first got to work getting rid of the corpses, which were easily dealt with by the Recyclotron. The airlock door was repaired, the hangar cleared of bulletholes, and Pox went on a rigorous cleaning fit, to scrub and cleanse his sweetheart of any residual monkey filth.

Things then finally seemed back to normal.  
After all the hard work was done, Pox deemed it high time to go take a shower.

But as he entered the Mothership's sleeping quarters, which bordered to the bathroom, Crypto was standing at his wardrobe, undressing.

"Oh, hello, Crypto…" Pox spoke as he saw the warrior clone take off his socks. "You're not about to shower, are you?"

"Yeah, I am." Crypto replied. "Why?"

"Well, I was about-… _**Great gonads, make yourself decent, man!**_" Pox then exclaimed and covered his eyes as Crypto had casually removed his boxers right in front of him.

"What?" Crypto grinned. "You've seen it, like, three or four times already."

"That's hardly the point! I feel no need to-… is that running water I hear?"

Pox lowered his hands and looked towards the bathroom as he realized he already heard water splashing in there.

"_What's taking you, Cryptushka…?_" Natalya's voice then came from the shower.

Pox's eyes widened in shock, and he looked at the warrior clone in front of him in disbelief.

"Crypto!" he barked. "_**You didn't!**_"

"I did." Crypto smirked.

The warrior clone then made his way over to the open arch that led to the bathroom, ignoring the Orthopox-fit that was inescapably soon to commence.

"You hold it right there, mister!" Pox indeed yelled at him, pointing at him threateningly. "If the Homeworld hear of this, _**I'll**_ be blamed!"

"_Crypto…?_" Natalya seductively called out.

"Comin'…!" Crypto responded.

He then stepped into the bathroom, and right before going around the corner, clarified:

"I made a few adjustments…"

**THE END BEING  
*****

**Yay. Please leave a review. You might get an imaginary digital cookie. But thanks a bunch for reading anyway!**


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